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Hi all … haven't posted much recently because the S2 and I have been pretty busy … and we still are.

So, just a few images to post that may be of interest to fellow S2 shooters. More to come when time allows.

This wedding image was a real bear to pull off … by the time we got to the location and finished the usual formal stuff with the S2, is was pitch dark out. So I took advantage of the available darkness by having my assistant take the strobe out in front of them and using the SF58 in the hot shoe for a touch of fill. Shot with the 35 wide open at ISO 640, the only issue was the camera absolutely refused to auto focus … the battery powered Quadra strobe has a weak modeling light and was of no help at all trying to manually focus. I solved it by auto focusing on the overhead light and recomposing a bit.)

While I did end up with some noise issues when I opened up the shadows in post, the file was so big and pliable it really wasn't much of an issue at all. This will be printed centered on 17″ X 22″ paper.

I also recently did a studio session with a champion body builder creating images that'll be use for various applications. The session was shared between my tripod mounted H4D/60 shot tethered to the computer using the HCD/35-90 and HC/150N lenses, and the S2P using the 35 and 70 lenses shooting more freely hand-held untethered to a CF card. Frankly, except for the file ratios, it was not easy to distinguish the files … a testimony to the S2, which punches past it's meg count IMO. Very basic lighting techniques were used … most were done with a highly polished silver Mola 33.5″ Beamm without a diffuser … the shot
with the Symmetry type was the S2 using a a 6′ Profoto strip light with a 4″ strip cover. The other “Back” shot was done with the H4D/60 just for comparison (but the color version is a composite of a B&W overlay layer pulled back to 25% opacity, which accounts for the slightly more muted color. The same color & B&W composite technique was used on the S2 color “Bicep” shot, except I set the B&W layer slightly more aggressive than on the the Hassey shot.

-Marc

Thanks for the feedback guys. More info for those interested in details:

By “simple Lighting set-up”, I meant the use of minimal lights … the tools used are admittedly pretty sophisticated. If you think camera gear is a black hole sucking money up like a vacuum cleaner, do NOT get involved in lighting. It is very similar to MFD … you can get to a certain level fairly quickly, then every incremental step upwards exponentially cost more and more cash. However, as I advised another S2 users wanting to set up a lighting kit, why pay $40-50K for a S2 system, then go cheap on the lighting? The lighting tools and technique are actually more important than the camera used. High quality ighting is especially important with these cameras, which love crisp clean light to really perform to their maximum potential. The S2 was supposedly originally designed for exactly this type use of lighting … or so they keep saying (fashion, etc.) But we NEED those leaf shutter lenses to really use the S2 to its maximum abilities!

The body builder shoot was my first session of that type, and was surprisingly more difficult to do than I had anticipated. So I agree with David K, it is much harder to do than it looks. For one thing, these guys can't hold those poses for very long, at least not at the peak muscle pop, and it is exhausting to do it for a couple of hours, so time is limited. I had all kinds of different lighting ideas, and was able to do only a few. You really have to work fast, so next time I'll have an assistant to help me.

While I do agree that pulling off that wedding shot in the tunnel isn't something that an Uncle Bob would/could do, the one shown below is even harder to pull off. Optional creative stuff can be experimental, and if it doesn't work “oh well” … but there are certain shots you HAVE to do and there are no second chances, regardless of how cliche' and boring we may feel they are. Clients don't know enough to realize what that certain conditions can pose serious issues … like a huge wedding party formal that has to be shot in the dark. We often don't have control of when or where a shot has to be taken, but it has to be done. I pulled this one off because I looked up the sunset time before hand, and knew it would be in a courtyard which further darkened the scene. Without the Quadra set to 400 w/s I wouldn't have been able to pull it off with the S2. I had about 10 minutes to arrange the people, set the camera and lighting and pull off the 4 or 5 shots to assure everyone's eyes were opened and they where all looking at the camera. Lighting was directional held high on a painter's stick camera left with a Elinchrom Varistar Umbrella type softbox kit , with a SF58 TTL speedlight in the hot shoe aimed more camera right to make up for the light fall-off from the directional strobe … and to provide general overall fill. Hand-held S2 @ ISO 640, dragged the shutter @ 1/30th to open up the background, S35 @ f/2.5

Last week I was in Pittsburgh, PA for the LHSA Annual Meeting. We had the unique opportunity to shoot pictures inside Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Fallingwater at Bear Run, which is about an hour and a half drive […]

Breaking news this morning: ACM Project Management has sold a 44% minority stake in Leica Camera AG. ACM previously owned approximately 98% of the shares of Leica Camera AG and has, on several occasions over the last several years, attempted to take the company private with 100% ownership. I believe that one of the reasons for Leica's current success is Dr. Kaufmann/ACM's long-term strategy in the face of the global economic meltdown. While others companies were concerned with maintaining short-term shareholder value by laying off workers and slashing R&D budgets, Leica grew its workforce by more than 10% and double-downed on R&D. Indeed, looking in hindsight, this was a logical and extremely smart move, but at the time, I'm sure it was deemed very risky. My hope is that Blackstone Group allows Kaufmann and the Board to continue running Leica with its current strategy for continued success, and that the extra infusion of capital provides for much-needed expansion to manufacturing.

The press release follows:

Leica Camera gains strategic investor in Blackstone, ACM Projektentwicklung GmbH will remain the majority shareholder

London, Solms: The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) and ACM Projektentwicklung GmbH today announced they have agreed a strategic partnership whereby investment funds advised by Blackstone will acquire, indirectly through a holding company, a 44% minority stake in Leica Camera AG (“Leica”), to support Leica’s international growth plans. ACM and Blackstone have agreed that the value of the transaction will not be disclosed. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in Q4/2011.

Headquartered in Solms, Germany, with 1,150 employees, Leica has a long tradition of manufacturing premium-segment cameras and sport optics products. Over the past sixty years, Leica has grown to become a leading German brand and is seen as the epitome of German engineering excellence and an ambassador of the “Made in Germany” quality seal. Leica has become synonymous with the best tools of the trade, blending hand-crafted quality with a dedication to precision mechanics and producing the best optics the industry has to offer.
Building from this highly successful market position, Leica now endeavours to expand the business into new markets. Blackstone is seen as the right partner to support Leica management to achieve these goals in light of its global footprint, in particular with significant operations in Asia, and its development capital and strategic expertise.

Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica commented on the transaction: “With Blackstone we have gained an experienced and internationally established strategic partner, which also understands and appreciates the established brand philosophy and business model of Leica. Following the successful turnaround of the business and record sales last year, we are now focused on the continued development of the brand, its products and our growth plans into new markets such as Asia, South America and the Middle East. ACM has no plans to sell more shares in Leica Camera AG. Our long term strategy is to accompany Leica Camera in its continued expansion worldwide.”

Axel Herberg, Blackstone Senior Managing Director, said: “Leica is deeply rooted in Germany’s history and we would like to help grow the business in a manner that is true to this heritage, ensuring that the entrepreneurial spirit that makes Leica unique is preserved. We are very excited about supporting Leica to secure long-term commercial relationships, specifically in emerging markets, and help strengthen the company’s operational and retailing capabilities globally.”

Leica Camera AG concluded the 2010/2011 financial year with record sales of € 248.8m. The Hessen-based traditional manufacturer of cameras and sport optics products increased turnover by 57.2 % compared to the previous year (€ 158.2 m). The operating result (EBIT) increased almost six fold: it rose from € 7.4 m in 2009/2010 to € 41.6m. The consolidated surplus also took a positive turn: at € 36.3 m it is more than eleven times the previous year’s figure (€ 3.2m). The sales increase is attributed above all to the strong demand for the two camera systems, Leica M and Leica S.

This morning, Leica announced a Titanium Limited Edition Set of the extremely popular D-Lux 5. Besides the anodized titanium-look finish, a matching titanium-colored calf leather case is included. Initial […]