Rangefinder Magazine
March 2006

Click Here for printable version of this article.

Please accompany your questions with a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish an immediate reply. Alternatively, you can email me at: bhurter@rfpublishing.com.

From: Michael Duffy
dufme@lightspeed.net

I am a photographer for a sports arena and also the team photographer for the ice hockey team at that arena. I would like to mount a (still) camera inside the goal, which I would control via radio slave. The problem is, I have not been able to find any outlet or camera housing makers. Any clues?

These items, still or video, are called "Goalcams." A German TV production company named Plazamedia (plaza media.com) has develped miniature remote cameras called SportsCams, and these are used for all types of sports. Plaza-media's GoalCam is a tiny radio-controlled camera that can rotate 360° and is controlled by a joystick.

I read an interesting report from the Torino winter games, currently in progress at this writing. For ice hockey, they are using a pool camera that the different photographers take turns operating. It is housed in a custom-made Plexiglas® box and triggered by radio remote. The box is mounted with screws into the pipes of the net. Problems incurred include ice splashed onto the box (obscuring vision) and players hitting the net and dislodging the box or making it crooked. According to the photographer interviewed, Al Bello, the goalcam doesn't work much of the time. For more information, Google: Al Bello/goalcam/PDN.

Since many of these devices seem to be homemade, I didn't have any luck finding a supplier for you. What you might want to do is to contact a few of the NHL clubs and speak to their staff photographers who may be able to give you the name of a housing supplier. I will continue to research this, and if I find out anything of value I'll pass it on to you

From: Paul Rinaldi, PenEm Group, LLC
penem@bellatlantic.net

I read your recent reply in "Problems & Solutions" to Kelsey Kittle, who plans to open her own portrait studio after she graduates college.

Over five years ago, I started a consulting business that provides consulting services to small businesses. In addition, I work as assistant director of the Monmouth/Ocean Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in New Jersey. These centers are located on college campuses around the country. They can be found through the Small Business Administration's web site-sba.gov. The SBDCs help clients such as your reader with start-up and business-management assistance. In addition, they assist established small businesses with counseling in growth areas, financing, sales and marketing as well as other management topics. Most services are provided at no charge. SBDCs also provide seminars in many subjects.

I hope this helps. I would be glad to give you more information if you need it. You can reach me by e-mail at: penem@bellatlantic.net or call me at (732) 615-9747.

Thanks Paul. This is good information.

From: Mark Illingworth
millingworth@adelphia.net

I have two questions I would like to ask you based on comments you make in your books, which I enjoy very much, by the way. First, you frequently mention that in a particular print a photographer has carefully blended the shadows and highlights. I'm really not sure what you mean when you say this. Secondly, many portraits have skin that has been softened. In my portraits, there is a lot more skin detail, which is not always a good thing. How are these portrait artists achieving this beautiful look? I know they're not just smoothing blemishes. I suspect they're applying a slight Gaussian Blur and then masking this effect around the eyes and lips in order to preserve details in these areas. Am I correct? Or are there other techniques at work here?

Let me see if I can answer your questions. First: Diffusion, whether done on camera or in Photoshop, blends shadows and highlights. In Photoshop, the popular technique of adding Gaussian Blur to a background copy layer produces the effect of blended shadows and highlights by lowering the contrast and softening the edges between adjacent shadows and highlights. In oil painting, the effect is achieved by "working" the highlights into the shadows and vice-versa with a fan-blade brush. But back to Photoshop-by blending the sharp background layer with the diffused copy layer (by lowering opacity of the top layer), you achieve the effect of soft focus and sharp focus simultaneously. More specifically, image details are sharp but with a slight halo of diffusion. This blending of sharp and diffused helps create an aura of mystery.

Of course, there are filters, particularly Nik Software Inc. filters, that add this diffusion effect combined with grain or noise and even tone. These too are applied to a background copy layer so as to leave the original image intact.

Second: You were on the right track on this technique. Selective soft focus or diffusion again necessitates a duplicate background copy layer. Select the face with the marquee tool. Feather the selection to about 65 or so and then hide the selection (Command/Alt-H). Diffuse the selected layer with Gaussian blur and then with the eraser tool (foreground color set to black) go back in and erase the parts of the image you want sharp or sharper-eyebrows, eyes, eyelashes lips, teeth, hairline, chin, and so forth. Use a lowered opacity so you remove a little diffusion at a time, rather than all at once. Selectively removing the diffusion from key areas of the face fosters the illusion that the image is sharp while the skin is soft and flawless.

Hope these explanations are useful and thanks for the good feedback.

From: Nancy Bisbey
Alecat Photography
sncbisbey@netins.net

I have just recently opened my studio and I am having trouble with people scanning/copying my work. It is copywritten in my studio name, but that doesn't stop them. I have heard about Bunny's Miracle Ink and Remover, but I can't seem to find it in my area and was wondering how well it works. I now have plain old ink and a pad, but I have to reorder any proofs bought because it is not removeable. Can anyone out there help?

Bunny's Miracle Ink and Remover and other Bunny's products are available at the website: www.bunnysink.hostrocket.com. You can also reach the company by phone at: (562) 696-8852. Bunny's reputation is very good. We have had many happy readers respond positively regarding Bunny's products.

From: Rod Prynne
rodprynne@xsinet.co.za

I have arguments with my clients over scans and negative copyright. Any chance you could email me some information applying to the wedding photography industry that represents normal practice in the U.S.?

My policy is that negs and scans of the wedding are my copyright, and the client should pay if they want them. Is this the same as practiced in the States? I am in South Africa.

Yes that is a policy here, but often times photographers will include the negatives as part of their package price. You do in fact own the scans and negatives of your images and can refuse to part with them, but a lot of photographers here, seeing that proofs and albums will probably be scanned anyway by the clients, have opted to release the negatives and keep a digital copy. It is sort of a moot point, however, when talking about weddings that are captured digitally. Yes, they may scan proofs and albums, but you'll always retain the digital originals, even if you give the client DVD copies of the images.

From: Danny Acevedo
Avanti Photo Studio
mv009@aol.com

We would like to offer our wedding clients DVDs of their engagement portraits, etc. But our concern is how to incorporate music without copyright infringement. Would you tell us how to go about doing this in the legal manner.

To be strictly legal, you need to use royalty-free music. Web sites such as freeplaymusic.com are extremely varied and only require that you post the appropriate credit on screen