September 12, 2008
My Equipment, and Why I Use What I Use - For Anyone Who Cares
I know that when I visit other photographers blogs or sites I am always interested in knowing what type of equipment they use. I think it's really helpful to get others perspective and personal preferences on what they prefer to use and why. I'm not a tech-head by any stretch, but I do think that the tech side of photography is very important. I also want to say that I am not endorsing any manufacturer or brand. This is just my opinion on what works for me.
First let me say that although I have entered into the world of shooting digitally I continue to shoot film on a regular basis. This is not to say that I think film is better, just preferred in certain situations. Much of my reasoning for not "Going Totally Digital" is the investment toward equipment, which I feel, is not where it needs to be yet for the cost. Having said that, Phase One, who has recently partnered with Mamiya, just released the largest pixel count (60.5 megapixels) on the largest sensor (full size 645) available. As good as this is, there is still a lens conversion issue if you want to put this new back on something other than a 645 camera and I'm not ready to abandon my three RZ bodies and various RZ lenses just yet. Not to mention the price, which is around $40K.
My solution, to this point, has been to combine digital shooting with medium format film shooting and digital editing or workflow. I began shooting digitally using the Canon 5D. For the money you can't beat this camera. It will give you great image resolution up about 9x12 at 300 dpi. But, I just recently got my hands on the new 5D MK II. This camera is just short of amazing. In addition to the 21 mega pixel full frame sensor this thing records HD 1080 video. When I shoot film I use the Mamiya RZ67 and scan the transparencies on a Nikon 9000ED film scanner. With this arrangement, scanning a full size 6x7 transparency, I can achieve an extremely high-res 16 bit image file which translates into 30"x36" at 300 dpi output.
I will concede that the final file is extremely large (565 mb for the 16 bit version) but you can't beat the final output quality when going to press.
As far as image editing and archiving, everything is done through Adobe Lightroom, Bridge, and Photoshop CS3 all running on a Dual Core Intel MacPro with a total of 3 terabytes of hard disk space, 12 Gigs of RAM, with the whole lot being backed-up redundantly using a DROBO.
This is just a rough idea of the "Why I use what I use". What follows is a detailed list of the "What I use" part.
CAMERAS & LENSES
Mamiya RZ 67 Pro IID
Mamiya RZ 67 Pro II
Mamiya RZ 67 Pro
Multiple 120 Film Backs and Polaroid backs
RZ 67 Prism Finders - 2 (love the RZ; just hate looking at things upside down)
RZ 4.5 50mm wide angle
RZ 3.5 90mm normal
RZ 2.8 110mm normal
RZ 4.5 180mm portrait
RZ 4.5 75mm tilt-shift
Canon EOS 5D MKII - WOW!!!
Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 3 - 2 (film camera bodies that I just can't part with)
Canon 4.5-5.6, IS 100-400 mm
Canon 2.8, 28-70mm
Canon 2.0, 135mm
Canon 2.8, 16-35mm (what an awesome lens)
Canon 2.8, 100mm macro
Various B+W UV and Polarizing Filters
LIGHTING & GRIP
Profoto Acute 1200 Power Pack
2 - Profoto Acute D4 Flash Heads
2- Profoto 2x3 Softboxes
1- Profoto 3x4 Softbox
1- Profoto 1x3 Striplight Softbox
2- Profoto Beauty Dishes (1 White, 1 Silver)
Various Profoto Grids
Canon 580 EX II Flash with Lightsphere Diffusers
Quantum Turbo Battery Pack
Various Manfrotto Tripods, Light Stands, Light Booms, and Backdrop Stands
Calumet 4'x4' Panel Frames with white translucent scrims/reflectors
Wescott 5'x6' Portable Backdrop - Black one side, White on the other
Photoflex 3' round, White/Gold and White/Silver Reflectors
COMPUTERS, SOFTWARE, SCANNING & PRINTING
MacPro - 2 x 3 Ghz Dual Core Intel w/12 Gigs of RAM and 3 Terabytes Hard Disk space - running OS Leopard 10.5.4
MacBook Pro 17 inch Hi-Res Gloss Monitor 2.4 Ghz Dual Core Intel w/4 Gigs of RAM and 500 Gigs of Hard Disk Space - running OS Leopard 10.5.4
Drobo Robot w/ 3.5 Terabytes of redundant back-up space (love this thing)
Power Mac G4 - 1.5 Ghz PowerPC w/1.5 Gigs of RAM and 200 Gigs of Hard Disk Space - running OS Tiger 10.4.10
23" Apple Cinema Displays - 2
Nikon 9000 ED 4000 dpi Film Scanner w/Glass Mount 120 Film Tray
X-Rite i1 Color Calibration Package for Monitors and Printers - This stuff is essential if you plan on having your images maintain and reflect accurate color over a variety of output vehicles.
Seagate 300 Gig External Drive
Western Digital Passport 500 Gig External Drive (great little drive for use when shooting with the MacBookPro)
Adobe Lightroom, Bridge, Photoshop CS3, InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat 8 Pro, Microsoft Office 08, Extensis Font Fusion and Apple Aperture (although I have to admit I have become a complete Lightroom convert)
Epson 3800 Professional Ink Jet Printer 17"x22" w/Colorburst Postscript Rip (fantastic printer for the money and the black and white capability is outstanding) This printer is a much better option over the 4800 because of the need for manual ink change when going from color to black and white - not good. The only advantage I can see of the 4800 over the 3800 is the ability to roll feed.
Epson 2000P Ink Jet Printer - Yes it's old, but still reliable for banging out high quality color prints up to 13"x19"
HP 2200 B&W Laser Printer - Great for all the admin crap I have to do.
Pelican Hard Cases for Cameras and Laptop
F64 Canvas Camera Bags
Tenba Cases for Cameras, Lighting Equipment, and portfolios.
Apple 80 Gig Ipod - Can't live without it.
Apple 32 Gig Ipod Touch - This thing is great for keeping a mini digital offline portfolio if you don't have mobile broadband or wifi access.
Just an FYI about equipment and Supplies. I buy almost everything through B&H Photo in New York. These guys are the best. I have never been disappointed with either their selection (they have everything) or their service. They are always helpful and their website is easy to navigate and order through. They also have a great used department which I have used often and they guarantee everything.
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September 11, 2008
Welcome To My New Blog
So this is my new web blog. I have been anticipating the launch of this blog for awhile. I have been waiting for my new site to be completed before I started this blog and now the site is finally finished. Yea! Please check it out - www.rickkoconis.com
I will be trying to update this every day or so with whatever I am currently working on as well as any other bits of information I think people might be interested in hearing about.
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September 11, 2008
Modeling Info
I am always looking for people to model for me and my camera. You don't have to be a "MODEL", in fact I would prefer if you were not. I'm always on the lookout for someone with a little character. You can be old or young, male or female, thin or not so thin, it doesn't really matter as long as you think you can bring some personality to the party. Just send me an email if you're interested. I do ask that anyone who poses for me signs a model release.
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September 11, 2008
Shots of Mary Using Natural Light
I took these a few days ago. I am always trying to expand my portfolio with portrait images. It is my favorite type of photography and using natural light as the primary light source is always my preferred way of lighting. Obviously, it's not always possible to shoot using natural or available light but, I try to scheduling shoots so that I can at least take advantage of some natural light and supplement with selective strobe. Ultimately, my goal, even when using strobe, is to create an image that looks as though only natural light was used.
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September 11, 2008
Driving Through The Great Southwest
I recently spent a few weeks driving through southern California and Arizona. What a beautiful part of the country. It was the first time I ever visited the Grand Canyon, WOW. I, like many others before me felt compelled to drive the famous Route 66. Here are a few images from that trip. I can't wait to go back. All of these images were shot on film, Provia 100, using my trusty RZ67 IID. I love this camera. Yes, it is bulkier than some smaller medium formats, but the image quality is amazing. You might also notice that these were shot using a 50mm wide angle. How could you use anything else when shooting the expanse of the Southwest.
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February 18, 2008
Portrait Sessions & Print Pricing
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