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Thursday, June 26, 2008
HELMUT NEWTON AT TOPSHOP!
• Helmut Newton At TopShop! –TopShop toured an instant photography installation called The Newton Machine round some of its stores earlier this month. Named after the late Helmut Newton, TopShop's Newton Machine was an installation of a self-photography solution inspired by this celebrated photographer. Newton was dismissive of other photographers whose reputations he believed were based mainly on the qualities of the model they partnered with. He thought the model was effectively the better photographer! He devised a set-up that allowed a model to photograph herself. This is what TopShop replicated in-store for its customers this month, in London, Manchester and Dublin. [expand story >>>]
TopShop's Newton Machine was a marketing promotion based around a studio installation that allowed the store's customers to come in, dress as they pleased from the TopShop wardrobe, be professionally made-up, and take their own self-styled fashion photo using a remote trigger. The Machine was quite a faithful reproduction of Newton's original set-up, using a mirror, marks on the floor where the model should stand, and the original brand of lighting. (The Times Online published a story about it, including a web video clip.)
Newton's original had a serious purpose, "to heighten the tension of the modelling session and to catch the model at the peak of each pose". To this end he incorporated an adjustable motor-drive that allowed the model to choose to work fast or slow, and a bell that would go off just before each shot was triggered. The studio strobes would trigger in sync with the shot.
TopShop Marketing Manager, Lara Einzig, came across the idea in Newton's autobigraphy and thought customers would love it. She saw it could work well in today's culture of shared, self-generated images, like those on FaceBook and MySpace. Being able to have fun, pose as a model, get images posted online, and instantly be given prints to take away and share, would encourage customers to come in and try on outfits.
It also created a favourable association between TopShop's own image and the legacy of the renowned Vogue photographer. The retailer worked with the Helmut Newton Foundation, and Newton's agent, to recreate the Machine. The waiting room for customers queing to use it was supplied with books of his work.
Event and Snap Shot Photography companies could learn from this. It's an inspired and well thought out application of instant photography, one that could be adapted in many ways and proposed for many purposes. You could seduce event organizers and marketing people with this idea, or sell the experience directly to the public. And you can improve on it too – TopShop were averaging a bit longer than a minute a print to output A5 prints on an A4 inkjet. Using dye sub technology you could print an 8"x10" in the same time, or several 6"x9"s.
The only draw back is psychological. Newton's Machine can raise the anxiety of a certain type of photographic auteur about a secret fear – that much of the genius of photography may be inherent to the medium, rather than the artist, and that others may discover this! [add comment]
In Part 1 we looked at the origins of modern event photography, then in Part 2 we examined what it is about kiosk printers that makes them so suited for event photography. In Part 3, PhotoWeek! continued by looking at what happened when some eventers realized they didn't have to chop the printer out of the kiosk. Just last week in Part 4 we told you about Portrait Printers, larger-format event printers on steroids! Now this week we conclude with Part 5, a note on HiTi printers, the unignorable phenomenon without mention of which no survey on event printing would be complete! Expand, and read on! [expand story >>>]
If you're a serious amateur, a semi-pro or a photo entrepreneur on a budget, and you need quality dye sub prints without paying hundreds of pounds per printer, then HiTi may well be for you.
Few issues divide event photographers so much as whether HiTi printers are event machines or not. On the one hand, there are respected professionals established in event photography who would say you shouldn't recommend HiTis in this role. On the other hand, there's always been a loyal contingent of photographers deploying numbers of HiTis at events and swearing by them. And numbers is the key here – HiTis make most sense in a commercial setting where a number of dye subs are needed. Plenty of successful event crews, Internet cafes and photo labs are using HiTis.
Eventing aside, the HiTi proposition is simply this: good dye sublimation prints on quality affordable media from excellent technology in a really affordable package! The casings of these little compact plastic wonders hide all kinds of bells and whistles, including (in some cases) media card slots and direct printing facilities, built-in feature rich software, detachable wired remote controls and the ability to output 4-up prints for ID photos! For the price, the technology and quality is amazing. (One of www.photomart.co.uk's photographers, George Bowdidge, is a well-known user of HiTi for his home printing needs.)
If you're a serious amateur, a semi-pro or a photo entrepreneur on a budget, and you need a number of printers to produce quality dye sub prints, without paying hundreds of pounds per machine, then HiTi may well be for you. (And if so, you've probably already got a brace of them in the back of your Skoda!)
In Part 1 we looked at the origins of modern event photography, then in Part 2 we examined what it is about kiosk printers that makes them so suited for event photography. Last week in Part 3, PhotoWeek! continued by looking at what happened when some eventers realized they didn't have to chop the printer out of the kiosk.
Now read on, while we tell you about Portrait Printers, larger-format event printers on steroids! [expand story >>>]
So, what is a Portrait Printer?
Roll-fed Portrait Printers are the bigger cousins of the professional dye-sub photo printers used in Eventing. Typically they print 8×10" and 8×12" size prints on the same kind of media used by other dye-subs. Rollfeed enables them to produce borderless prints, which is a key requirement of the portrait market. Some of them can also simulate a matte finish.
The typical application of a portrait printer over the past couple of years has been to substitute for some of the lab printing that a portrait photographer customarily gets done. An in-house portrait printing solution enables the portrait photographer, shooting digitally, to contain their whole capture-to-print workflow in-house for some prints, giving them fine control over quality and colour adjustment, saving time, and giving them instant feedback as to whether they need to colour adjust or reshoot. It also saves them the relatively high cost of 8×10" and 8×12" prints charged by some labs.
And because they're based on the same design principles as 6×8"/6×9" event printers, they can also be pressed into service at events, producing a succession of high value, high quality portrait-size prints for quick sale.
Until recently, though, these larger, heavier machines were relatively expensive, and could only just about be described as portable. But they didn't drain too much power, and were very robust, so some folk went ahead and used them for on-location work too. However, it has to be said that, up to now, eventers wanting portrait sizes chose sheet printers instead, on account of their smaller size and weight, and lower price tag. (New generation roll-fed machines, with radically redesigned form-factors, are changing that.)
Print quality is more important in portrait printing than it is in eventing. Portrait printers produce superb quality prints on media with a look and feel approximating traditional photo paper. The specification of most portrait printers includes 600dpi resolution for sharper, more detailed images with higher definition. The ability to produce multiple detailed and compelling images quickly at short notice can also make them useful in Public Relations applications, and in Law Enforcement, where multiple copies of images are produced for use in court evidence. A significant portion of these big machines are sold into the public sector.
Next week, in Part 5, we talk about HiTi printers. – Love 'em or laugh at them, there's no denying they carved out a niche for themselves in event photography, and no survey of the subject would be complete without some treatment of them.
In Part 1 we looked at the origins of modern event photography, then last week in Part 2 we examined what it is about kiosk printers that makes them so suited for event photography.
This week in Part 3, PhotoWeek! continues by looking at what happened when some eventers realized they didn't have to chop the printer out of the kiosk. Read on. [expand story >>>]
You can turn ordinary photo kiosks into event systems, or you can assemble your own. An event system is a dedicated arrangement of hardware and software that some photographers put together to shoot their events with. It takes eventing to another level, moving up several gears from the one-man-and-his-laptop approach. Event systems are all about productivity, about maximizing speed and sales, and getting the most out of the limited selling-window available at events.
Event Systems usually comprise an event printer, and a computer front-end. They're often chopped-down photo kiosks. The computer typically is an all-in-one unit with an integrated touch-screen. It runs kiosk software, or a decicated productivity program like ExpressDigital DARKROOM.
Eventers use systems like this for a number of reasons. The simplicity and ease-of-use of photo kiosk software can enable an event photographer to deploy a number of crew-operated units, without have to spend too much time on training and familiarization.
The units typically have good presence, a distinctive appearance that forms a focal point, and they can help to differentiate the dedicated eventer from other photographers using less specialized equipment.
The operators are continually gesturing and pointing to the touch screen, showing customers images and helping them to make choices. All this activity, with a bit of showmanship, can enhance the system's effect as an attention grabber.
Ultimately, though, what an event system is really about is workflow. It's used to help to enable a good workflow. The software is often a dedicated workflow product like ExpressDigital DARKROOM. (Photo kiosk software can also be used, because it too enforces a set workflow.) Keeping to a good workflow provides a productivity advantage during an event. Experienced eventers have estimated this is worth several hundred pounds a night in extra takings.
Another take on the Event System concept is to pack a printer and computer together into a flight case and use the whole arrangement together as a single unit. In operation a flat-panel monitor is usually set up on top of the flight case with a keyboard and mouse. The computer is housed in the case, with the printer and spare media. It's all a bit like a photo kiosk pedestal, but ruggedized, and collapsible (or pack-up-able!) for portability.
Using a general purpose PC, instead of a photo kiosk terminal, allows a photographer to eschew standard kiosk interfaces for the more sophisticated workflow programs developed specifically for eventing. The prime example of this is ExpressDigital's excellent DARKROOM Professional.
Next week, in Part 4, we look at Portrait Printers, larger format dye-sublimation units with all the advantages of event printers, but at a bigger print size!
• Keith Trainor For Photomart Summer Show! – www. photomart .co.uk has managed to secure legendary event photographer, Keith Trainor, for their gigantic Summer Show in London on 18 June 2008. Courtesy of SONY UK, Keith now becomes one of the bill-toppers for this bumper day of photo workshops. The Summer Show also includes presentations from fashion and advertising photographer Jon Gray, travel photographer Ian Brierley, and two ex-forces photographers, Fujifilm printing expert Bertus Vos, and ExpressDigital workflow aficionado Bryan Osborne.
Click the play button to listen to the full extended story.
Keith Trainor is one of the world's most sought-after lecturers on event photography. He is frequently asked to present workshops here in the UK, on the continent, and in the USA. He is the distinguished holder of the MPA/BPPAwards inaugural Event Photographer of the Year title. And he's a really nice bloke!
Keith will be presenting his popular workshop, Event Photography – Techniques for Profit, at the www.photomart.co.uk Summer Show in London this June 18, 2008. It's aimed at beginner and newbie eventers, and those thinking about getting into eventing. The most valuable things it teaches are the business side of successful event photography, the market for work, and how to sell yourself into it.
You'll learn how to find, contact and deal with event organizers – from head teachers to masonic grand masters. You'll learn what to charge, when or whether to pay, and how much. You'll learn the necessity of good workflow, the value of a team you can trust, and all the tips and tricks for wringing the most profit out of the limited selling-window available at each event. And you'll learn how to keep earning from your events, with after-sales of images from your web site.
At Event Photography – Techniques for Profit Keith will also demonstrate market-leading event photography hardware and software, like fast SONY event printers and highly productive ExpressDigital workflow software. He'll demonstrate a portable mini-studio of lights and backgrounds, and show how to meter it. He'll teach practical photographic techniques for creating images with enhanced perceived value. Techniques for posing couples and groups quickly in compelling arrangements, techniques for high-key shots with instant drop-out white backgrounds, and greenscreen techniques for superimposing subjects instantly into fantasy digital scenes.
He'll show you how to incorporate text and logos on your prints, and how to output seven of them a minute! He'll also teach you the value of selling your prints in folders, and of specializing in particular niches that you have special knowledge of, be they motocross events, masonic functions, or even swim suit contests!
This workshop's an absolute gem. It's invaluable. And it's great fun too! At Event Photography – Techniques for Profit you the audience are yourselves the revelers at an event. You are the subjects that get called up onto the background – individually, as couples, and in groups – to have your photos taken and to choose the ones you want. It's not only a realistic scenario, it's also a great opportunity to mix with other like-minded photographers, and a highly enjoyable social occasion.
Event Photography – Techniques for Profit will be presented twice at the London studios of www.photomart.co.uk as part of their SUMMER SHOW on Wednesday, June 18, 2008. The first presentation will be at 10am, or alternatively you could attend the second at 2pm. Tickets, priced at just £50 + VAT, may be purchased through the www.photomart.co.uk website. Just type SUMMER08 in the www.photomart.co.uk Search Box. Your ticket will enable you to attend one other workshop at the SUMMER SHOW for free. Book Now!
• Event Photography (Part 2) – Last week in Part 1 of this series we looked at the origins of modern event photography, and how photographers found printers they could use at events – by adapting the heavy-duty commercial dye sublimation printers designed for photo kiosks.
This week, PhotoWeek! continues by examining what it is about these printers that makes them so suited for event photography. [expand story >>>]
Event photographers found that heavy-duty commercial photo printers were just what they needed for printing at events. These dye subs are roll fed, so they can print continuously, very quickly, and will rarely jam. They take high-capacity media rolls, and don't need frequent reloading. Their printing technology is dye sub, not inkjet. This means they make prints that look and feel like proper photos, on media robust enough to tolerate handling at an event. The prints don't tear or crease easily, and the images won't smudge or run in the rain.
The print sizes go up to 6"x8" or 6"x9" inch sizes – in the UK, these sizes are considered the "sweet point" at which the eventer can make the most money.
The prints from these printers are edge-to-edge (no whiteborders) and are cut and trimmed by the printer - no extra work to do at the event. The printers are built to last - any machine engineered to sit in a kiosk churning out print after print nonstop should have acceptable life in eventing. Media for them is always available and affordable, because it's the same media that is produced in volume to supply photo kiosks globally.
And the machines can load with enough media for several hundred prints at a time. This minimizes reloading, which reduces the amount of time you would waste at an event, and the amount of dust you will get on your print head. When you do reload, many of these printers are front-loading, which makes it easier to use them in confined spaces, or while operating them in a flight case.
Next week, in Part 3, we look at Event Systems, or what happened when some eventers realized they didn't have to chop the printer out of the kiosk!
• Trainor DOES 7 Prints a Minute at Cannes! –Keith Trainor gave an impressive demonstration of the capability of modern event photography at the SONY World Photography Awards gala VIP ceremony at Cannes on April 24. In just 90 minutes, he and his crew shot and printed 625 live 6"x8" event photos – an average of almost seven a minute![expand story >>>]
Keith used the new SONY Alpha a700 camera to take the photographs, they were displayed via ExpressDigital DARKROOM on SONY Bravia widescreen TVs, and printed on a bank of four SONY UP-DR150 fast event printers. You can see Keith's Event Portraits team in action at Cannes in the YouTube video below:
Keith used simple borders in ExpressDigital Darkroom to put a black keyline and border on the images, and to include the logos of the SWPA and SONY.
British Travel & Tourism photographer, Ian Brierley, is to present "Endless Summer", his workshop on speculative travel & tourism photography, as part of the www.photomart.co.uk Summer Show in London on 18 June. "Endless Summer" will teach delegates how to finance their travel through photography, as a way of life!
Click the play button to listen to the full extended story.
Ian Brierley started making money out of photography as soon as he got his first camera at the age of 15. Since then he's travelled wherever he's wanted to, whenever he's wanted to, paying his way through (often speculative) photography. He's photographed Her Majesty the Queen in Ghana, Miss Universe in Trinidad and Tobago and Miss Ghana in Accra, as well as doing an extraordinary range of other interesting and enjoyable work. His photography has illustrated a number of books.
At "Endless Summer" he'll be telling photographers how to do travel and tourism photography as working holidays – how to get airlines to sponsor flights, tourist boards and hoteliers to cover accommodation, and how to sell postcard designs and present other propositions, such as aerial photography, to potential buyers.
The workshop will include an outdoor model shoot with an exotic model, pointers on how to find models overseas, and how to shoot for their complexion in local light. Ian will also demonstrate his own technique for creating "photo paintings" from his images, and will get one of these printed to canvas during the workshop.
When he travels by van, Ian follows horse boxes, and sells event photos at equestrian shows. He'll demonstrate event photography using the ICI Olmec OP1000 PrintBox, and will show his van, fitted with a mobile digital editing suite.
Ian will give two presentations of "Endless Summer" at the London showrooms of www.photomart.co.uk as part of their SUMMER SHOW on Wednesday, June 18, 2008. The first presentation will be at 10am, or alternatively you could attend the second at 2pm. (You should bring your camera to this workshop.) Tickets, priced at just £50 + VAT, may be purchased through the www.photomart.co.uk website. Just type SUMMER08 in the www.photomart.co.uk Search Box. Your ticket will enable you to attend one other workshop at the SUMMER SHOW for free.
• Event Photography (Part 1) – Event photography is news, but it's not new. It has a long history. Photographers have been doing event photography almost since photography was invented. The famous society photographer Lafayette established the vogue at the 1897 Devonshire House Ball, where he shot high-society and royalty in fancy dress.
This week, PhotoWeek! starts a short series of weekly articles explaining the basic concepts of event photography. [expand story >>>]
Late in the century following the 1897 Devonshire House ball – nearly a hundred years later, in fact – photographers realized they could sell more prints, at a higher price, if they could actually show them at the event. By then we had minilabs capable of developing and printing in less than an hour. Event photographers began whizzing film round to local labs during their events, and whizzing prints back to sell to their customers. Not everybody did this, because it wasn't easy, but it was a way to make more money.
Then along came instant digital photo printing, using heavy-duty commercial dye sub printers, and event photography boomed. Instant digital photo printing enabled more eventers to make their prints at the events. It's immediate. You can shoot a group of revelers at a ball, and less than a minute later sell them their photograph. This immediacy makes them far more likely to buy, and willing to pay more for the prints. It can make a big difference to your takings.
The heavy-duty commercial photo printers that event
photographers make their instant digital prints on have their origins in photo kiosks. Essentially, they're chopped down kiosks. Although they are also marketed as stand-alone printers, they were all originally designed for kiosks.
Next week, in Part 2, we look at the features of these printers that make them, rather than any other kind of printer, the ideal event machines. [add comment]
Hi! I'm Simon Towler. I'm the Editor of PhotoWeek! – the UK's free weekly email newsletter for the photo trades! And THIS is our BLOG!
(PhotoWeek! is sponsored by www.photomart.co.uk)
• Helmut Newton At TopShop! –
TopShop toured an instant photography installation called The Newton Machine round some of its stores earlier this month. Named after the late Helmut Newton, TopShop's Newton Machine was an installation of a self-photography solution inspired by this celebrated photographer. Newton was dismissive of other photographers whose reputations he believed were based mainly on the qualities of the model they partnered with. He thought the model was effectively the better photographer! He devised a set-up that allowed a model to photograph herself. This is what TopShop replicated in-store for its customers this month, in London, Manchester and Dublin. [expand story >>>] 
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