ken@kenrieves.com | Ken Rieves Photography. Commercial, Portrait, and Editorial Photography in Cleveland, OH.

Imaging USA 2015

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On February 7th, 2015

Earlier this week I returned from Imaging USA 2015 that was held in Nashville, TN. Imaging USA is the name of the annual conference of Professional Photographers of America (PPA). PPA boasts membership from all over the world and thousands of people attend the conference, which lasts 3 days. It was a fun, but exhausting trip. Here are a few photos from the event. All photos were taken with a Leica M and with either a 35mm or a 50mm Summicron lens.

: The Cascades Atrium

: Some of the rooms overlooking the Cascades Atrium

: American Cafe

: Horses on Delta Island

: National Geographic Photographer Sam Abell

: An attendee walking. Delta Island

It was a fun trip and I was able to spend time with old friends from all over the country and was fortunate to make some new ones.

Thanks for reading!

-Ken.

Holga EF mount lens vs Canon 100mm Macro? Yep.

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On January 25th, 2015

This might quite possibly be the strangest lens comparison on the Internet. Let me explain why I posted this blog. On a whim I purchased a Holga 60mm f/8 lens. It was only $25 and I thought it might be fun to play with. When it arrived, I wasn’t really surprised about the quality of the lens. It is completely plastic and looks and feels as cheap as it really is.

If you’ve never heard of Holga, don’t feel bad. Here is a link to more info.

Apparently they started making lenses for Nikon and Canon so you can get the Holga experience using a modern DSLR. As far as I know, the only focal length available is 60mm, it has a fixed aperture of f/8, and crude, limited manual focus.

Holga 60mm f/8 EF mount lens.

My first attempt was to use the lens on my Canon 5D MkIII, a full frame camera. The lens was basically unusable on this camera. The vignette was so bad only the center of the image was visible. In addition, even thought the ISO and shutter speed were set to get a proper exposure at f/8, the image was quite under-exposed.

I put the lens on my Canon 7D and, because of the 1.6x crop factor, most of the vignette was gone. However, now the effective focal length had changed to 96mm. So, in order to compare the performance of the Holga lens I had to find a similar lens that I was familiar with. The only fixed focal length lens I have that is close to 96mm is the Canon 100mm Macro IS. I know that $25 plastic lens can’t compare to the $1000 Canon 100mm (one of Canon’s sharpest lenses). And to make things worse, I shot the 100mm Macro on my 5D MkIII.

So here is the unworthy comparison between the lenses. Disclaimer: these are not artistic or even good photos. I shot them out the front door of my studio. Both images are JPGs converted from RAW with no adjustment. The first photo was shot using the Canon 100mm Macro IS.

Canon 100mm Macro IS

This next photo was shot with the Holga Lens.

Holga 60mm f/8

Notice that the Holga vignettes are quite severe, the image is softer, there’s less saturation, and contrast.

There’s also one much larger difference between the two lenses. Both photos above were shoot at ISO 400 and at f/8 (the aperture is fixed on the Holga). But the photo with the Holga lens was shot at 1/40 of second whereas the photo with the Canon lens was shot at 1/320. That’s 3 f-stops! The Holga lens is not an f/8 lens, but is really an f/22 lens! That makes the lens ridiculously slow.

Final impressions? It’s a cheap plastic lens with limited use. The truth be told, I’ve never shot with the Holga 120 camera, so I can’t compare the results of the Holga lens on a DSLR to it. Is it worth the price? I don’t know, it’s something to play with, shoot some photos, then grow tired of. For $25, maybe you’ll get your money’s worth if it helps spark some creativity or inspires you. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

-Ken.

High School Senior Photos

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On January 21st, 2015

This morning I was speaking to parent who scheduled a session for me to photograph her daughter. While we were talking she asked me why I don’t specifically have a section for Seniors on my website. I explained to her that, to me, Senior portraits aren’t different from any other portraits. If you group Senior portraits into it’s own style, then you’ve set limits on the images.

I don’t like to force portraits into different categories. Instead, I shoot portraits that suit the individual regardless of their age. For this reason, many of my photos of High School Seniors aren’t always readily identifiable as such. I’ve been told that they have an editorial look to them.

Here are a few examples of some different “Senior” portraits I’ve taken.

This morning, my client understood what I meant, after all she selected to me to shoot her daughter’s portraits and wants something different and unique.

As with most of my portraits, I prefer to meet with my clients in advance of a shoot. This give us a chance to meet and discuss what they are looking for. This also gives us the opportunity to talk about wardrobe, location, image style, and any other variables that may come into play.

So, just in case you were wondering, yes I do shoot Senior portraits. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

-Ken.

I know you are getting tired hearing about the new studio…

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On January 17th, 2015

But, it really is a fantastic place to work. Just having the open space and tall ceilings is liberating. Most of the constraints of the old studio are gone and I love the shooting options that are now available. Here are a couple of examples from a recent shoot. I love the diversity of the images.

This was shot using available light as it was streaming in thru the windows in the overhead door. It was shot with a Leica M and a 50mm Summicron.

I shot this using the overhead door as a background and lit it using a combination of gelled light and a strip box. Shot with a Canon 5D Mk III and a 70-200 2.8 IS.

Thanks for reading and I’ll be posting more photos as I finish hanging artwork in the lobby.

-Ken.

Getting used to the new studio space.

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On January 12th, 2015

After having been at my old studio for nearly 9 years, working in the new studio is taking a little getting used to. One reason is that I’ve reorganized everything and so I have to try to find things during shoots, which sometimes takes more time than I’m used to. Another thing that I’m not used to is the tall ceilings and additional space. This allows me a lot more lighting options than I’ve been accustomed to. Sometimes it feels like I’m working in someone else’s studio, or in my dream studio!

I love the new lobby, it’s warm, welcoming and inviting. I’ve received a lot of positive response from clients and customers!

Below is entrance into studio:

Here is a sitting area in the lobby (the new floors look amazing):

There are still more photos to be hung as well as more prints to order, but it’s beginning to come together. Signage will be the next project so that I will have better visibility from Fernhill Avenue.

Overall, I’m loving the new space and finding it a joy to work here!

Thanks for reading and I’ll post more photos as projects get finished!

-Ken.

Short Video of the New Studio

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On December 29th, 2014

Here is a short GoPro video of the new studio space. I don’t have photos hung in the lobby yet but I’m open for business at the new location.

The new studio is at 435 Fernhill Avenue in Fort Wayne. Stop by and check it out.

-Ken.

The new studio is almost ready.

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On December 10th, 2014

All of the improvements are complete at the new studio and I’m 95% moved in. There is still a lot of stuff to be organized and put away, but most everything is out of the old studio. There are a few things that were left and are for sale. There will be clearance sale on Friday from noon to 4pm to sell it off.

I should be open for business on December 15 at the new location – 435 Fernhill Avenue.

By the way, here is a photo of the new epoxy floor in the 1500 square foot camera room.

I’ll most photos of the entire space when I get it organized and everything in it’s place.

Thanks for reading!

-Ken.

We are moving into a new studio!

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On November 21st, 2014

I’m very excited to announce that I have acquired a new location for the studio. The new studio address is 435 Fernhill Drive. I’ve been at my current location for more than 8 1/2 years and, while it’s been a good location, it lacks some features that I’ve had to work around. For instance, the ceilings are relatively low (9 ft), it lacks an overhead door, the floors are carpeted, and the location can be hard to find.

The new studio is larger (1800 sq ft) with 16 ft ceilings. For my commercial clients, there is an overhead door in the camera room, so it’s possible to bring in larger items such as motorcycles and automobiles. Below is snapshot sneak-peek of the main shooting area.

The space is being remodeled and an epoxy floor is being installed in the camera room. I should be open for business at the new location by December 15th.

I’ll post more photos when the renovations are complete.

Thanks for reading!

-Ken.

Want to improve the quality of the photos you post on social media?

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On October 29th, 2014

OK, this is going to sound dumb, but one way to improve the quality of photos you post on social media or on any online portfolio, is to wait. Wait? Wait for what? Wait for the experience of shooting the photo to be be forgotten. Confused?

Let me explain. When we shoot photos, we easily get wrapped up in the experience. That’s one reason we enjoy photography, we enjoy capturing images. It can be an emotional experience and we can easily correlate the experience with the outcome or the images. As a result we can be blinded towards the real quality of the photos.

For instance, if you are shooting photos of cute 2 year old child and he is being perfect. He is smiling on cue, looking at the camera, and just being adorable. You’ve just had a great experience and are pumped to download the images to see how they look. When you get to your computer and review the images they are all golden and you are convinced you are the best photographer on the planet. So, naturally you have to share all of them with the world, so they all get posted to Facebook, Tumblr, or your favorite social media.

The problem is, 6 months later you look at those photos and think to yourself “Wow, a couple of these are really nice, but there’s a lot mediocre/bad images here. What was I thinking”. You were mixing up the emotion that was felt as you were shooting with the emotion that image itself evokes. Your judgement was clouded.

The solution is to wait before you share the images. When you finish a shoot, download and backup your files immediately. After that, wait a day, or two, or ten, or more before you make judgements about the photos. There’s a good chance that your opinion will change given a little time.

Just to put things in perspective, the legendary street photographer Garry Winogrand would wait a year or two before he would develop a roll of film because he felt that time was needed so he could objectively view his work.

Now this may be a bit extreme, but I think it helps illustrate my point. Give yourself some time before deciding which photos to share because time will give you perspective and allow you to more honestly judge the quality of your work. Try it and see if you don’t become more selective about what photos you share.

Thanks for reading!

-Ken.

Commercial – A Drill Bit or a Small Piece of Industrial Art?

Posted by ken@kenrieves.com On October 21st, 2014

I don’t know why, but sometimes an image strikes me. Sometimes it’s the subject, sometimes it’s the light, sometimes it’s a texture, and sometimes I don’t know what I find interesting about it. Last week I was shooting photos of tools for a catalog and there was a drill bit that caught my attention.

I think I like the tones, textures, and curves. The curves gives the image a masculine, muscular look. The highlights and shadows provide depth and dimensionality. Finally, I like that you can see the fine lines created by the milling process.

It’s a drill bit, made to create holes in some medium, but it’s also sculpture in a way. An engineer worked out every twist and edge of the bit in order to maximize the efficiency of the design. In a way, it has a certain grace and elegance.

Thanks for reading,

-Ken.