Andy Allo live in Paris at La Maroquinerie

Posted by Snob on August 15, 2013
Posted in: Art, Entertainment, Paris, Video. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to capture my sister’s performance in Paris. I thought they were some great performances and after her performance in Austin TX at the beginning of the year I really wanted to get some good clear recording of the show for archival purposes. I had already packed my Canon 5D Mark III for my trip to Paris and was curious to find out how well it would hold up in a real live video setting.

For lens I used the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. I have to say without this lens, it would have been impossible to record this show. The heavy duty stage sound system triggered vibrations all over the venue, which were only amplified by the long focal length required. Because the concert was sold out, there was no way to come close to the stage and capture any usable video. The 4+ stops of image stabilization really proved every last cent of this lens’ worth. I also used my Canon 7D with Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS to capture secondary shots to provide subtle variety to the final cut.

For sound, I was able to pipe the output from the main sound board into the 5D Mark III. This greatly reduced my sound editing tasks in post processing to almost nothing. The 5D Mark III sound recording capabilities are world class. On both the 5D Mark III and the 7D, I shot the video at f/2.8, ISO-1600 and 1/50 to 1/60 shutter and 25 frames per second for a more cinematic feel. There was also a very noticeable reduction in video file size. The shutter speed (roughly twice the frame rate) gave a really crisp, sharp rendering of each frame. Amazingly noise was not an issue at all with both cameras at ISO-1600.

Below is her performance of “Nothing More”, one of my favorites, in full 1080p HD.

For more photos, video and info about Andy Allo please visit:
http://alloevolution.com
https://www.facebook.com/andyallo

http://www.instagram.com/ANDYALLO

Thanks for watching.

Behind the scenes – Fashion Shoot

Posted by Snob on August 14, 2013
Posted in: Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Not long ago I was shooting a summer fashion series for Denim Spot in downtown Sacramento. The shots were for their fashion look book, so unfortunately I will not be publishing those shots anytime soon, or at least until their look book is released. However while taking a break from shooting I decided to look around me. I was intrigued by one of our Makeup Artists and Assistants. I decided to explore her look as a little diversion from an otherwise intense day of shooting in various challenging settings. Hannah was gracious enough to pose and let me take a few shots. Here are some highlights from behind the scene.

LIKE this post if you’d like to see a fashion shoot with Hannah. 🙂

Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 70-200 f/2.8L @ 200mm, f/2.8, 1/80s, ISO-100.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 24-105 f/4L @ 70mm, f/5.6, 1/100s, ISO-100.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 70-200 f/2.8L @ 88mm, f/2.8, 1/100s, ISO-250.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 70-200 f/2.8L @ 200mm, 95mm, f/2.8, 1/80s, ISO-100.

Paris Day 2 – La Tour Eiffel [The Eiffel Tower]

Posted by Snob on August 13, 2013
Posted in: Architecture, Art, Cityscapes, Landscape, Paris. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Okay so it’s time to catch up on photos from Paris. If you like this post, you can also find previous posts from Day 1 here.

Day two wasn’t as busy as day one. This was mainly because I planned to visit only one destination – La Tour Eiffel. Obviously this was to be a highlight of my visit. I wanted to focus on this one location, experience it’s beauty through the sunset and into the night. I also wanted to get a time lapse while getting some good shots, and just take it all in.

La Tour Eiffel is one sight to behold. It is much larger than it looks in any movie, magazine or photo you’ve ever seen. Truly a wonder to behold, especially considering the era in which it was constructed and the fact that it still dominates the skyline in this age-old, world class city. It is yet another testament to the French and their pride in their ability to construct.

I arrived about 2 hours before sunset immediately began looking for a good, higher vantage point. I settled on the Palais de Chaillot / Esplanade du Trocadero. I wanted to also explore some ultra extended exposures to capture the intense traffic around the tower. I also hoped that the a few 10 minutes exposures with a 1- stop filter might help remove the crowd in the scene. I was wrong. The sheer numbers of tourists in this area was overwhelming! I could barely capture a clear shot of the sidewalks.

Below are choice shots from my evening as I chased the sunset through to the night. I took a time lapse as well in between these shots. I met some great people while out there and made some new friends.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 24-105 f/4 @ 35mm, f/4, 2.5s.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 24-105 f/4 @ 35mm, f/4, HDR
La Tour Eiffel, Paris – 16 x 24 inches
La Tour Eiffel, Paris – 16 x 24 inches

Reader Comments – Canon 5D Mark III vs 7D

Posted by Snob on July 24, 2013
Posted in: Camera, Reader Comments, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 12 Comments

A while ago I got a question from a reader regarding my post titled Canon 5D Mark III vs 7D and have been meaning to write down further thoughts on the subject.

That post has been the subject of much debate, many questions and discussions. However I would like to keep this post focused on this question I received, because I think it is representative of the question on a lot of people’s minds when they approach the subject with me.

FROM DOUG:

Hi Bryan,

I was quite interested in your post about shooting the moon with a 7D versus a 5D mark 3. I hope that you don’t mind a question from an amateur about the two cameras.

I’m considering upgrading to the 5d from the 7d. I enjoy photography (mostly pictures of the family for the family). I’m strictly a hobbyist, but really enjoy it. It’s for fun, not for money.

On the various websites, so many people like the 5d compared to the 7d, but I wonder if there is an echo factor (as you allude to in your post). Given that you have the two cameras, do you prefer one or the other? For a semi-serious hobbyist, do you think that it’s worth the upgrade?

(Note that I’m not asking you to decide for me. I’m old enough to make my own decisions. However, I really enjoyed your post, like the way you think and am very interested in your opinion.)

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this. If you don’t have the time to answer, it’s absolutely not a problem.

Regards,
Doug

Thanks Doug [and all who’ve asked similar questions].

After making the transition myself over the last year, the short version is: Stay with the 7D. Here are my thoughts in broad stroke.

The 5D Mark 3 does not provide enough of new features (that are critical to your shooting style) to justify the expense of an “upgrade”. Like the 7D, the 5D Mark 3 is even more so a purpose built imaging device (camera) that is better suited to performing highly specific shooting tasks, and it does what it’s designed to do exceedingly well – arguably better than any other SLR. The problem is the 5D Mark 3 is more specialized than the 7D in many respects that may make it less relevant to you and your shooting style. The 7D is more versatile than the 5D Mark 3 hands down. The built in flash, wireless E-TTL transmitter, high burst mode and trendsetting ergonomics make it still very relevant till this day.

One thing I very quickly learned from owning/shooting both bodies simultaneously is that both cameras are more complementary peers rather than vertically related. That is, the Canon pro bodies are designed to complement each other and not necessarily supersede each other. Gear heads and spec sheet readers all around will sing otherwise all day long, but the fact of the matter is they have no clue what they are talking about (other than a spec sheet) and more often than not, have never owned or used a 7D or 5D Mark 3, let alone simultaneously.

Here’s an interesting thought. After the highly successful 7D, the 5D Mark 3 really just looked a bit superfluous. I for one picked the 7D over the 5D Mark 2 when I was upgrading from my Rebel XT, because it just made more sense. Don’t get me wrong, the 5D Mark 3 does produce a superior image thanks to is newer sensor tech, but when we’re talking about these pro bodies, the delta in image quality really starts to shrink, especially in the hands of a photographer who knows what they are doing. The Canon 6D is even more proof that the 5D Mark 3 does not really offer very much new capability over the 7D other than it’s full frame sensor (which is only really  relevant to certain shooting styles). As such the Canon 6D is basically the full frame companion for the 7D owners out there, because it really does not make sense to shell out close to $4000 for what the 5D Mark 3 offers over the 7D.

While in Paris, I recently used my 5D Mark 3 for what I would otherwise use my 7D for – general walk around photography. This only further hit home my point about the 7D being a more versatile and on-the-go camera system. Especially when coupled with the best lenses money can buy, which leads me to my next point.

If you don’t use the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lenses on your 7D, then chances are you don’t really need to “upgrade” your body. You have yet to maximize your 7D’s full potential. I say this because these are the only two lenses that I know can match the 7D in every aspect of what it was designed to accomplish. These two lenses cover all your important focal lengths, are extremely versatile and flexible when coupled with the 7D, can actually keep up with the 7D’s super fast AF system, have large constant apertures for low light photography coupled with 3-4stops of Image Stabilization respectively. The combo packs an undeniably powerful punch and leaves very little that a photographer cannot accomplish – and for a relatively affordable price.

But the most important feature of these two lenses is their extremely high resolution and optical performance. Nine out of ten lenses simply cannot render image details sharper than the high pixel densities of the 7D sensor. This became painfully evident after Canon released the 7D, as suddenly images seemed softer, even with L lenses. Remember the 7D was the first 18MP APS-C SLR to hit the market. Since then Canon has been steadily revising it’s top lenses to increase their resolution and optical performance. I suspect this is the reason we will not being seeing any super high megapixel cameras from Canon anytime soon – it doesn’t make sense to add megapixels when the lens won’t resolve enough detail to take advantage of the increased resolution. These two lenses I mentioned are the best all around lenses money can buy  – that you will actually use. One is always mounted to my 7D and the other standing by very close. 🙂 A comparable combination for the 5D Mark 3 will be forbiddingly expensive and yield only marginal gains in overall performance.

If you move to a full frame 5D Mark 3 you will lose versatility, practicality and overall usability. Unless you are an avid and very active photographer, your new 5D Mark 3 will most likely end up sitting in it’s case, because it will feel like too much effort to grab it and go when hanging with family or taking a trip. There is more to an SLR than whether or not it has the latest sensor tech or higher resolution. I definitely recommend using the extra cash you will spend on a 5D Mark 3 and invest in the gear and accessories that will ad more dimension and do more to further your photography – I suggest a good solid Manfrotto tripod, 1 or 2 Canon 430ex speedlite flashes (your 7D can control them wirelessly), an interfit strobies kit, a shotgun mic for when you shoot video, a good high quality camera back pack (90% of the stuff out there is not worth it) and take a few of those trips you’ve been wanting to take for a while.

Thanks for reading All and I hope this helped.

Cheers!

Paris Day 1 – Le Louvre [The Louvre]

Posted by Snob on July 23, 2013
Posted in: Architecture, Art, Cityscapes, Landscape, Paris. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Continuing from: https://bryanallo.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/paris-day-1-pont-des-arts/

My last stop on Day 1, after Pont Neuf and Pont des Arts, was Le Louvre. I had stopped by earlier in the day but found there to be just too many tourists and visitors to even get a half decent shot. My photographer instincts are always to come back and revisit my subject at a time most would consider obsessive or outright insane. Depending on how far I am willing to go, I may often find myself to be the only one around.

It was past 1:00am when I arrived at The Louvre. The square/plaza was gated-off but as I approached I found a small opening and walked through. Aside from a few men at the doors of the pyramid, I was the only one around. As I later on realized, they must have been part of a maintenance crew because the Louvre would be completely dark by this time every single time I tried to revisit it at night. This, as I found out, was due to budget cuts in the city of Paris or as the Parisians called it, “La Crise Economique” (The Economic Crisis). So I sort of lucked out on this night.

Apart from one-or-two couples in “love” who were stopping by to take in the night lights, I was all alone. I had the entire Louvre to myself. It was so tranquil and relaxing. I took my time to soak it all in and plan my shots well. I wish I had a tilt-shift lens with me to help make the panoramic stitches less painful and more seamless. I whould also have liked to do some HDR time lapses of my shots, as the overcast skies would have provided for a great dramatic background but all I had with me was my 5D Mark III, 24-105L lens and some ND filters.

I visited the Louvre until about 3:00 am. Here is my final shot before I left. I used in-camera HDR bracketing on the 5D Mark III. No Post processing other than re-sampling the image which would otherwise be too big to post. This shot will also be available for print, as soon as I can take it through final processing and proofing.

Le_Louvre1_web

Here is a panoramic shot of the courtyard I took upon arriving. This is a panoramic composition of standard extended exposure shots. There has been slight contrast and saturation boost. It has also been greatly down sampled as the original panoramic would be too big to publish on here. This shot will also be made available for print.

Le_Louvre_Web

This is perhaps my favorite from this evening. Also a panoramic composition of in-camera HDR bracketed shots. I was very satisfied with the 5D Mark-III’s ability to generate high fidelity HDR compositions in-camera and on the fly. This better helped me to adjust my bracket shot settings. The high dynamic range of it’s sensor gives me even more flexibility when processing the RAW files.

Le_Louvre3_web

This is a quick hand held HDR panoramic I took upon arriving at the Louvre earlier in the day. As you can see, the entire courtyard was chock-full of tourists and visitors standing in lines that went on for days. From this point I pretty much concluded I was not going to bother getting any shots on the Louvre.

Le_Louvre4_web

Here is another cool HDR panoramic of the right wing on my approach to the Louvre. I loved the dramatic cloud cover over Paris on this day.

Le_Louvre5_web

Paris Day 1 – Pont des Arts [bridge of arts]

Posted by Snob on July 16, 2013
Posted in: Architecture, Art, Cityscapes, Landscape, Paris, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Continuing from: https://bryanallo.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/paris-day-1-pont-neuf/

After visiting Pont Neuf, I walked down towards the next bridge which was Pont des Arts. I thought I might get a few good shots since it was a pedestrians only bridge and had some beautiful architecture across the river. Upon arriving I was blown away by how many locks were attached to the rails. It was very interesting. Every on of them with a love message written on them. I call the love locks. There wasn’t a single square inch of the rails that was visible. The entire bridge sides were covered with locks of all shapes an sizes.

Here is a panoramic of the bridge from the Pont Neuf vantage point. You can see the Eiffel Tower in the distant background. Paris is littered with amazing views like this at every turn.

Pont des Arts_web

This is the view I found upon arriving at the bridge. If you look closely at the rails you will see they are completely covered.

Pont des Arts_web

Here are some close ups. The panoramic shots are just too big to publish here so below are some crops from just next to the right-most bridge lamp post.

Pont des Arts2_web

Even closer. I wasn’t kidding when I said the bridge is covered with locks!

Pont des Arts2a_web

Paris Day 1 – Pont Neuf [New Bridge]

Posted by Snob on July 11, 2013
Posted in: Architecture, Cityscapes, Landscape, Paris. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Continuing from: https://bryanallo.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/paris-day-1-eglise-de-la-madeleine/

After my visit at Eglise De La Madeleine, I walked down towards Place de la Concorde [Concorde Square??]. It was undergoing a major renovation and presented little photo opportunity so I ambled through Jardin des Tuileries till I arrived at the Louvre. This was the highlight of my day. I have seen so much about this landmark in various media so it was really nice to finally see it in person.

At this point of my visit, I realized Paris was a really big tourist destination. Everywhere I went there were throngs of tourists. I had packed a 10 stop filter which my good friend Steve was kind enough to let me borrow before I left. I hoped that the 10 stop filter would enable me to take very long bulb exposures that would ultimately erase the crowds of tourists from my shot. I did not even come close. There were that many tourists and that much traffic everywhere I went. 5 minute exposures looked like your typical 15 second exposure. This was even more evident when I shot the Eiffel Tower at sunset several days later.

I realized the only way I could shoot Paris would be to shoot at night only. So I just scouted for a few hours during the day and then started to take my shots after sunset and often went on through the night into the early morning.

Blew through the Louvre and ended up at Pont Neuf on the river. Not sure what it is about it, but I just love this bridge. When I returned later that night I was pleased to find calm waters on the river. This meant I could get some really cool light reflections using extended exposures. I proceeded to retrace my steps from earlier in the day upon arriving at Pont Neuf. Below is a wide shot of the bridge followed by a panoramic shot. This was close to midnight with sparse activity around downtown and much fewer people. It was relaxing and refreshing to be able to just take it all it uninterrupted.

Pont_Neuf_web

Pont_Neuf_Pan_web

Paris Day 1 – Eglise De La Madeleine

Posted by Snob on July 10, 2013
Posted in: Architecture, Art, Paris. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

Continuing from: https://bryanallo.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/paris-day-1-galeries-lafayette-heaven-on-earth-for-women/

After exploring Galeries Lafayette, I realized I had lost my bearings and walked too far west. I then took the next south-east street which landed be at this round about. In the middle of the round about was this very old church: Eglise De La Madeleine.

It was here that it began to sink in, just how much the French people value their construction and buildings. Paris is dotted with a plethora of monuments. Not just hastily erected structures with tablets and inscriptions. They are all monuments that took decades or generations to complete. Exhaustive use of granite, marble, stone, copper and iron. It was very inspiring and profoundly moving to walk up to, touch and visit every single one of these monuments. Even simple state/governmental office buildings, stood as if those who built them wanted to make a very pertinent point to all who did as much as walk by. You could feel the deep sense of pride of those who toiled away, cutting those stones, granite and smelting the copper.

Eglise De La Madeleine, was no exception. And to think that, as I explored the city more in the following days, I realized that this church was perhaps one of the most modest of churches dotting the Paris landscape. It was humbling.

It was overcast and drizzling but I managed to get a somewhat clean shot of the front despite the high level of traffic. Fortunately I was able to get some shots of the inside. Once inside, I took extra care not to disturb the faithful who were present for worship. I set my 5D Mark III to Live View mode so as to avoid the loud mirror slap that comes with an SLR. I was able to quietly take multiple HDR bracket shots. I used a high ISO 1600-3200 since I only had enough time and space to shoot handheld. In this respect, the 5D Mark III proved it’s worth with no noticeable noise. Below are some of the shots I got.

Some of the cleaner shots will be processed and made available for print.

Paris Day 1 – Galeries Lafayette – Heaven on earth for Women.

Posted by Snob on July 9, 2013
Posted in: Architecture, Art, Fashion, Paris. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

With this post I begin chronicling highlights from my first visit to Paris, France not too long ago. It will take a while to sort through all the photos but I figure I’ll take it one day at a time.

Day 1 started with me walking around in the early afternoon, lost. While heading in the general direction of the Seine River, in a bid to reach the Louvre, I stumbled across this interesting shopping mall.

If there ever was a place on earth we could call heaven for women shopping, this would be it. No one in their right mind should let any woman into this place with a credit card. I am sure entire life savings have been squandered here, families bankrupt and ultra successful businesses spawned…LOL. This place was decadent.

I took this pan shot to hopefully capture the essence of the place. This was just the focal point of the mall, which spanned several blocks with interconnecting bridges and walkways. Needless to say, like any shopping center, women’s accessories completely dominated every floor.

I just walked around amazed at how much had gone into the overall decor and details in the architecture. It was beautiful.

  • Shots were taken with a Canon 5D Mark III + EF 24-105mm f/4 lens.
  • In-camera HDR was also used for these shots.
  • Panoramic composed in Canon PhotoStitch.
  • Post processing done in Canon DPP and GIMP.

Paris_Galeries_Lafayette_Pan1_web

Paris_Galeries_Lafayette_web

Girl with the Phoenix Tattoo

Posted by Snob on July 6, 2013
Posted in: Art, models, studio. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment

This photo shoot has been a long time coming. One of my favorite photo models Charlie [Secret Weapon] had been working on some major Tattoo artwork together with a talented tattoo artist Bryan Blanco who coincidentally shares the same first name with me. I had also been putting together some concepts for a series of exotic and creative photo shoots, working with bold colors and dramatic styling. This was the perfect creative project to get my home studio up and running for more controlled shooting – I posted earlier here about it:
https://bryanallo.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/photo-studio-on-a-budget/

Hair and makeup was done by Courtney Hurley or Ravish [https://www.facebook.com/ravishedbeauties]. This was the second time I have worked with her and I like how she is able to create the look I am going for. In every subject, I see a two looks; the one everyone else sees everyday, and the one hidden deep inside. I have little interest in shooting what everyone else sees in a person, because it is pretty obvious. In this case Charlie has a daring personality, bold, independent minded with a mean free spirited streak. I wanted a look that contrasted greatly with that but still portrayed who she is a the core – daring, seductive, wild, mellow. I wanted a look that would make those most familiar with Charlie take a second glance before realizing who it is.

For this shoot I used the Canon 5D Mark III body + Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS II. For lighting I used two Canon 430EX speedlites in full manual mode with simple RF triggers and Interfit Strobies kit. This session lasted about 2 hours with 1 hour hair, makeup and studio prep prior.

My biggest challenge here was how to showcase this great tattoo artwork, in a tasteful manner. Here are some shots from this creative endeavor. As always any constructive feedback is very welcomed and most appreciated.