Beautiful Kyrgyzstan

I'm saddened by the news of the ongoing ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan, pitting Kyrgyz against Uzbek peoples. I was in this beautiful mountain country in 2007 and found the people warm and welcoming. I do hope that the violence abates soon. Here are some images from that wonderful ten-day trip from Bishkek, the capital, around Issy-Kul Lake, then south to Osh.

For more images, see www.michaelseto.com/Proofs/Kyrgyzstan/

Fashion Week - 2009, Here We Go Again...

Top: try to get both feet on the ground in your shots, this takes practice.
Second: the make-up artists (MUA) and hair folks work long, hard days
Third: a fun behind-the-scenes shots of the clothes hanging ready for the models
Fourth: this year, I saw a lot of young models with their mothers in tow
Bottom: the martini

Images © Copyright 2009 Michael Seto

Mercedez Benz Fashion Week (Feb 2009)

It always feels cooler to say you shot Fashion Week than to actually do it. Being in the tent feels like the copy from that Vodka ad "in a world full of golddiggers, posers, and wannabees..." Photographing there is fun for about ten minutes, then it's just work, then it's just a pain in the a--.

Shooting a runway show is enjoyable, for the first few times. There are some people who love it and you see a lot of them year after year at Bryant Park; they love to tell the newbies (like me) where to sit and just act like chaperons or air traffic control to the flock of photogs and camerafolks on the media riser.

Tips for the runway. Using a fast capable SLR, I use the Nikon D700, I knew whatever the lighting conditions, I'd be able to get the shots I needed with it's high ISO and fantastic autofocus capability. First things first, get to the riser early, especially if you don't have a reserved spot - it gets crowded. Be courteous and try and wedge yourself in so you don't spoil someone else's shot. Bring the minimum amount of gear and leave your bag elsewhere. Remember you normally can't use flash. A folding stool is great as well, or a hard camera case to sit on. I bring the D700 with MBD10 and the 70-200 VR, then I sling a D300 with a 17-35 for some wide angle shots of the venue.

I shoot on Manual and chimp beforehand to get my settings, I like f4 to give me some background blur but still enough DOF to get a face sharp, at least 1/250 to freeze motion, so today I ended up at ISO 800. Fortunately, lighting at the show tends to be consistent day-to-day and all along the runway. Matrix metering can get fooled by the bright runway and dark backgrounds sometimes. I shoot on Dynamic AF-C with 21-sensors active; initially focused on the face of the model. Nikon's AF works like a charm, tracking and predicting focus for me. I work the zoom as they walk out to frame them properly and then zoom in tight to get some close-ups at the turn.

The tough part it timing their steps so you get both feet on the ground. A leg bent at the knee can make a model look like an amputee, and a raised leg can look like she's listing and about to capsize (which happens sometimes with stilettos). Using a fast camera with bursts of 8 FPS helps of course - but you still want to fire when she's about to put her foot down. Knowing how your gear functions helps immensely in timing this.

Make sure you're equipment is ready and you have plenty of memory. A show runs maybe 20 minutes and you get say 35 looks, you're shooting 8 FPS the whole way, 20-25 frames per look equals 700+ shots...and in RAW I only get 350 images on a 4 GB card. Be ready to change quickly (or get a bigger card); there is no letup or slowdown - you're like Lucy at the chocolate factory. Get behind and you're going to be stuffing chocos everywhere and explaining to your editor why you missed the one key look they wanted.

This year I also got a chance to shoot backstage at the Rebecca Taylor show. You get a lot of insight into the chaos of how a show is put together and executed. And you realize how young these models are. You can get some fun, behind the scenes shots, just don't shoot the models undressed or someone's going to yell at you and you'll find yourself thrown out (or hit by Mom's handbag). Every girl seem to be from Eastern Europe and most sit around in i-pod zombie mode.

If you think being a model is glamourous, hang out for a couple shows behind the scenes at MBFW. The way they cycle through hair, makeup, wardrobe...I've seen chickens at Tysons get better treatment.

That's all for now, hope to see you in the riser in September...maybe.

Basic Assignment Loadout

Like many other photographers, I have a collection of camera bags. One of my favorites is the Domke J-3. Here's a photo of my standard loadout for photojournalistic type assignments as well as lighter event work. The rule of thumb here is two of everything so if something fails I'll still be able to get some kind of image.

Cameras, a D700 and D300, plus one MB-D10 battery pack, compatible with both cameras. I do lose one stop of low-light capability with the D300 but I like the FX/DX combo. I'll usually pair the D300 with the 70-200 to give me added reach with the 1.5 crop factor. The D700 sports the 24-70 zoom.

Lenses, a 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8. I can also cram in my 50 f1.4 if required. I'll sometimes swap the 24-70 for a 17-35 if I feel the assignment calls for a wider angle zoom. The setup does not allow for all three of these fast zooms to be carried unless I ditch either the Turbo or one of the SB-800s.

Flashes, 2 SB-800s and a Quantum Turbo battery with CKE cable to power one of the SB-800s. I'll throw in the Demb Flip-it for my bounce. Normally for PJ type assignments I'll leave my flash brackets behind.

Rapid Strap, (not pictured) I'm a big fan of the R-1 strap from Black Rapid Strap (www.blackrapid.com). This let's you hang one camera at the small of your back and bring it up rapidly (pardon the pun) to a shooting position. I've used it with a 70-200 on a D2x with a SB-800 attached - it's plenty sturdy and I have no fear the camera will work it's way loose. I use Op-Tech straps for my bodies.

Well, that's the basic loadout that I carry on many assignments that call for a minimum of gear, but redundant enough to cover any contingencies and malfunctions, as well as fairly lightweight and unobtrusive in the well designed Domke J-3 bag.

High Profile Event Photography

**Click to enlarge any of these images.
Images © Copyright 2008 Michael Seto

Top photo: The 20-foot ceiling precluded bounced flash, so I used the Demb Flip-it (see below) to give me nice even lighting off an SB-800.

Middle: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao speaking at the Waldorf-Astoria during a lunch sponsored by the National Committee on US China Relations, Sept 23, 2008.

Bottom: Dr. Henry Kissinger introduces the Chinese Premier.


New York City
September 2008

My client called, "I'll need your social security number and date of birth."

"Oh, what for?"

"A Secret Service background check."

I was silent for a moment, "Oh my..."

The National Committee on US-China Relations (ncuscr.org) hired me to photograph a luncheon they sponsored honoring the Premier of China, Wen Jiabao, who is the equivalent of the US Speaker of the House, third in line in Chinese politics. The luncheon would take place at the Waldorf-Astoria in midtown Manhattan.

Cirque de UNGA

It was one of the events in the week-long UN General Assembly. A real circus and pain in the neck if you life anywhere near the UN. Traffic barricades and motorcades abound.

Working with heads of state can be exhilarating as well as daunting. Their schedules are planned to the minute, protocol, assistants, and of course security surround the dignitary. It's a zoo. With literally dozens of moving parts - the photographer falls pretty low on the totem pole. In this instance, the NCUSCR did a fantastic job of coordinating with me and the other photographer ahead of time; they asked for our input for the reception and VIP greeting area.

The Chinese Premier would be greeted by NY Governor Patterson, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Ambassador Carla Hills, and Dan Brown, CEO of Motorola. Then he'd meet 30 plus VIP dignitaries, including Dr. Henry Kissinger and Ambassador Madeline Albright. My job...get perfect photos of each person meeting the Premier.

The Gear - Go Wide Young Man

For something like this, a suit and tie is mandatory, no ball cap and jeans thank you. A professional photographer needs to maintain the proper decorum and you're representing your client so make them look good.

My primary camera was the D700 with MB-D10 grip and Nikon's 17-35mm f2.8. You want wide on these types of shoots since space tends to be confined, you will be close to your subjects and people will be moving in and out of frame. This is the key PJ lens that you can't live without. Most of the shots will be at 24-35mm and you will inevitably get a lot of fluff on the sides of the frame. Fortunately, with 12 MP you can crop out a lot and still have enough pixel density for a great image.

The high ISO capability of the D700 (and D3) is unsurpassed and gives you maximum flexibility for shots with or without flash. I chose flash here, mounting a SB-800 with a Demb Flip-it (www.dembflashproducts.com/flipit/) and connected to a Quantum Turbo battery for fast recycle. No Stroboframe here - too unwieldy. These photos are not fine art, they're PJ so blast away.

I set my camera for 2000 ISO, -1 2/3 stop on TTL on the -800, a shutter speed of 1/60 (I wanted some ambient), and f8. Yep, like they say, "f8 and be there." While f8 demands more of the flash, it gives plenty of depth of field so you get some latitude on the focus in these fast moving situations. (At 5' distant, f8, 35mm, you get 3' of DOF, 1' in front, 2' behind. Plenty.)

I carried everything in a Domke J-3. This is a compact journalist bag, in black it looks small and professional, yet holds everything you need comfortably. No backpacks for this type of gig.

Kit: D700 w/grip. D2x. 70-200 VR, 17-35, 50 1.4. 2 x SB-800, 1 Quantum Turbo, assorted cards, batteries, lens cleaner, etc.

The Scrum

Fortunately there were only four of us working the greeting area, me and my partner, a photographer for the Chinese delegation, and a shooter for Secretary Chao. So we just lined up off to one side. Try to play nice with other photogs, introduce yourself, understand what they're there for and you can help each other out - like making room for a shot for each other. Yes, it can be win-win.

The problem was the two translators, two VIP greeters and a couple other assistants that kept getting in the shot - either in the background, or cutting in our line. The key here is you need to be assertive. A shrinking violet photog will not get the shot needed. Just tap the offender on the shoulder and ask them to move (in Chinese if possible).

Some dignitaries will know what they're doing, some won't. A good photographer will figure out which one they are and quickly intervene if necessary, placing people in their spots and telling them where to look. Take charge as required but lay back if not. Remember, we're not the show, we just capture it; but woe betided you if you don't...

Find A Unique Angle

The luncheon speech was standard podium shooting. I shoot manual for fixed situations like this. A black background can often fool the meter so I spot meter the face, and then tweak it till I'm happy. Shooting one particular setting also makes it easier to make batch adjustments if required in post (and yes, I only shoot RAW). These photos were at ISO 2000, f4, 1/100; I didn't mind shooting at 1/100 since I was using the VR while hand holding.

Then one of the PR guys suggested I go up with the rest of the pool photogs...what?! Screw that, I thought, I'm the official photog with full floor access. But, I reconsidered, maybe I'll get a different shot up on the balcony, and I did. So instead of the mic and face photo, I got a couple decent stage setting (pardon the pun) images. See, sometimes the PR folks do know what they're talking about and have the photographer's best interests in mind.

Good luck and good shooting!

Life on the Set - Part II

Images © Copyright 2008 Michael Seto

Top Photo - me with a Jacobson sound blimp.
Bottom - Uh, okay, now where does the still photographer fit in?

Life on a Movie Set, Part II

As a still photographer, one of your key interfaces is the Sound Mixer. Aside from jostling the camera guys and making their lives generally miserable by crowding in with them, the person who's job you can most screw up is the sound guy. They're responsible for getting the dialog and other sound recorded at a high quality level. The usually do this with wireless lavalier mics on the actors, as well as a highly sensitive boom microphone - held by the - you guessed it boom guy.

Make friends with the sound guys. Introduce yourself and tell them you're there to work with them not against them. The sound of your shutter and mirror is like a gunshot in a small room - especially if it's a quiet scene - you need to muffle that. Not only the sound guys; it bothers the actors as well. So...

Jacobson Blimps (see picture above) This is the standard for muffling the mechanical action of your camera and is about 95% effective. www.soundblimp.com It's built for either Canon or Nikon and has a variety of tubes for various lenses that allow you to use your zoom.

The blimps are fairly straightforward. Attach remote cord, squeeze camera into the spongy interior, attach lens, attach lens cover, close and shoot.

Shooting is a bit less intuitive. For the Nikon there are two buttons, the bottom one acts like pressing the shutter on your camera half-way, the AF and metering are activated. The top button focuses and fires the shutter simultaneously. To pre-focus and reframe you need to fully hold down the bottom button and then (while holding the bottom) depress the top button. It takes a bit of getting used to.

Zooming is a bit awkward since turning the exterior tube sometimes causes noise or squeeks. Sometimes you need to wrap a few rubber bands on the zoom ring of the lens to get enough traction for turning the external tube to work.

Sometime I would remove the tube and shoot with just the camera in the blimp, allowing easier access to the zoom/focus ring, but this allows quite a bit more noise to escape.

The biggest problem with the blimps is you don't have access to any controls during a shoot without opening the camera. Therefore I will often shoot in manual mode, with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed all determined beforehand. I use the versatile Sekonic-358 to meter the scene, getting an incident reading often right at the actor's face (I meter the stand-in). Sometimes in a dynamic scene where the lighting changes, I use the Auto ISO feature of the D700, which I found to be astoundingly accurate. I seldom use aperture or shutter priority since I need to positively control both of those to achieve the look I want.

More Lens Flare? Finally, the blimp comes with clear filters on the end of the lens tube - so if you have additional protective filters on your lens you now have two additional pieces of glass - making shots very succeptible to lens flare. I suggest removing as much glass as possible when shooting, since you can't use a hood with the tube.

The Talent Well, they are the key piece in the movie puzzle. As the still guy you have a couple rules: 1) stay out of their sight lines, 2) do whatever they say, and 3) make them look great. They can be touchy and a bit spoiled but as well very nice and generous. They have tough jobs as well - to deliver emotion on cue. Sometimes anything can distract them - like you standing in their sight line (where they are looking). If they ask you to move, move right away.

Each actor differs on when they like still photographers to shoot, some like it on rehearsal, some on actual takes. And if they can hear your camera go off (even with a blimp you can hear it in a quiet small space) it may distract them.

The key here is discretion, stay low key, wear black to fade into the background, try to stay very still during takes (aside from working your zoom), and be mindful. A lot of times it's about gauging the mood on set and acting accordingly.

Also, a lot of actors have 'kill' authority meaning any photo they don't like gets deleted and never to be seen again.

Over time you get to know their work habits and preferences. Often, asking someone, like their publicist, can get you some inside info ahead of time and keep you out of trouble.

Playing Nice With Others You quickly learn who is who and what department does what. God forbid you try and grab a six-step (ladder) and move it yourself! All (big) movie work is union and sometimes they get a bit territorial about their jobs - if you need something moved, consult the right grip guy first. Make sure you stay out of people's way and let them get their work done - life on a movie set is a lot of "hurry up and wait" while sets, lighting, camera, wardrobe is tweaked. You can spend hours setting up a 15-second take. So bring a folding stool and a book (and laptop).

While the still photographer is technically part of the camera department, since we work alone we're sometimes treated like the red-headed stepchild of the crew. One way to make friends is to take a lot of behind the scenes shots of the crew - everyone likes good pictures of themselves to send to family and friends.

The Martini (The martini shot is the last shot of the day on a movie set.) Overall, the still photographer on set can be a long, tiring, tedious, and technically challenging job, wrought with chaos and emotion. As well, it can be fun, rewarding, interesting, and exciting...and you get to hobnob with the stars.

That's a wrap!

Unit Stills Photography - Life on a Movie Set

Top Photo - me with actor Cary Elwes (yes, from Princess Bride) on set. Learning the work habits of the actors in your film and respecting their craft puts you in good stead with them. That means knowing when you're in their sight lines or bothering them generally. And, of course, taking pictures that make them look fabulous helps as well.

Bottom - a movie set is a crowded place with lots of different departments (art, camera, asst director, grip, gaffer, wardrobe, production, etc.) Learning who does what and respecting their contribution enhances the cooperation you'll get as a photographer.

Images © Copyright 2008 Michael Seto

New York City, September 22, 2008.

I just wrapped principal shooting on a film last week where I was the STILLS photographer; sometimes call the unit-, stills-, or production photographer. The unit photog's job is to take high quality still photos that mimic the look of the film for marketing and publicity purposes. The principal filming took place in New York City for 18-days. We worked long 12-hour days on set.

So what does that mean? Often, movies need to be sold to a distributor, and high quality photos that accurately reflect the 'look' of the movie are critical to making the sale. Often the actual film is not ready or available to send around to various movie distributors - so that's where stills come in. Additionally, the stills may be sent to magazines, like Entertainment Weekly, Variety, etc. for publicity.

Why a still photographer? When you're shooting a movie with film (not digital), it's tough to get a high quality image pulled from a (motion) film frame. First of all, film is shot at 24 frames per second so your shutter speed is only 1/48th of a second* - sometimes inadequate to stop motion sufficiently to give you a crisp sharp image. Plus, sometimes it's tough to find the exact frame you want from thousands of feet of film. Even with digital video, it's common to have a unit photog since their camera resolution beats most video - though with hi-def and the RED cameras this is less of an issue.

Also, the still photog can get images from slightly different angles as well as behind the scenes shots of the director with the actors, and portraits of the actors around the set - especially if they're in costume.

Simulating film. So my job is to shoot photos that look like what the director and cinematographer (or director of photography, DP) see in their monitors. To do that, I need to position myself as close to the camera as possible, and use a lens on my camera that mimics the field of view of the motion picture camera.

Getting close to the camera means making friends with the camera operator, his first asst cameraman (1st AC) - who pulls focus and is joined at the hip with the camera operator, and then the 2nd AC - who uses the clapperboard and generally assists. You need to balance the need to get your shot with the needs of the actors and the film cameras...you come in a distant distant second (or tenth).

Nitty-Gritty Equipment Choices: The 70-200 mm f2.8 was the workhorse! I found 80% of my shots required my 70-200 mm VR lens. Mainly because this lens gave me a field of view most similar to that of the video camera. (This may vary if you're doing a David Lean or other movie with lot's of panoramic vistas.) As well, the fast 2.8 aperture allowed shooting in low light - often the case on a movie set. My average camera settings (most of the film was shot indoors) were ISO 1600, f4, at 1/100.

I shot with the Nikon D700 to take advantage of it's full-frame FX sensor and unmatched ability to shoot at high ISO with relatively low noise. I felt comfortable shooting at up to 6400 with some post-production NR. My 50 1.4 and 17-35 2.8 also saw use. The jury is out on a mid-range zoom; I just did not find that much time to use it (when shooting stills). Behind the scenes (BTS) is another area. I think the 24-70 2.8 would work great here, but I did not have one with me on this gig.

Working on Set. Someone said being on a movie set can be like high school, with all the cliques and popularity contests and petty infighting. I didn't find that to be the case, though there were some standoffish individuals. Overall, people are very nice, especially if you take a moment to learn their name, what their job is, and respect their contribution to the effort. You may think that craft services (catering) is not too value added, until they deliver coffee and sandwiches to a crew standing in the freezing rain for three hours.

Everyone and everything must work together to pull off a successful film from art to wardrobe, to lighting (grip) and the acting. Moving lights around might not be as technical as the SFX (special effects) stuff - but you learn that it's just as critical.

*It's not the intuitive 1/24 because the shutter closes as the film mechanism advances the next frame into position and then exposes it. Shutter speed of 1/48th of a second is just an approximation.


End of Part I of "Life on a Movie Set." Stay tuned for Part II.

Boot Camp Graduation

Images © Copyright 2008 Michael Seto

While I was in San Diego last month for the U.S. Open Championship (won by Tiger Woods), I decided to attend a graduation ceremony.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) is know among Marines everywhere as Boot Camp. This second week of June at MCRD San Diego, 330 young men of Golf Company officially graduated from eleven weeks of training under the close unyielding eyes of their DIs or drill instructors, known by their campaign hats, unofficially called Smokey the Bears (top photo).

Family and friends make up the majority of the crowd. But there are always a contingent of former-Marines (myself included) in attendence; we're never called ex-Marines because "Once a Marine, always a Marine. The former Marines come to get a taste of the brotherhood they've long since left, but which will always leave its indelible mark.

The graduating Marines march past the crowds in the grandstands before they're dismissed and reunited with their families and loved ones. They'll receive ten days of leave before they report to their next duty station. Most of these Marines will go on to serve in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I too marched for countless hours of close order drill on this parade deck, or grinder, over eleven weeks that felt like eleven months. In August 1986, I, like many before me and many after me, marched down the grinder one last time and earned the title, United States Marine.

Semper Fidelis.