Author: lynn.fyffe

Thanks to Nikon who provided all the great lenses. The flagship D4S shoots fast like a gun. The panel of news photographers at SSA are great mentors on sports shooting.

 

Client Access Link: http://www.lynnfyffe.com/Sommer_JP/

 

Three looks in landscape format: Studio + 2 locations. Head shot, chest up, and full body.

In this corporate head shot session, I did a comparison of medium format Hasselblad camera with digital Leaf back versus 35mm Canon 5D mark 2.

I set up the lights first, invited the model to step in, and shot a set hand held with the Canon. Then I switched to Hasselblad on a tripod and shot him in the same pose and same marked standing location, same lighting again in another set. I switched the backdrop twice: first I used dove grey seamless and later medium grey seamless. The Hasselblad is so bulky and heavy, I had to set it up on a tripod. The focusing is more difficult on Hasselblad compared with Canon to get it tack sharp on the subject’s frontal iris. There is no enlarger 5X or 10X on the screen back and I didn’t tether it. I can get the model involved more and get more response when I stay behind the lens and talk to the model compared to staying in front of the computer screen. The digital back actually cut off the top, so what you see on the back screen during the shooting doesn’t match the actual image you get. So you’d better be careful about your framing and give extra space on top. The digital sensor back is not sealed on the back of the camera; it’s exchangeable with a film back. So the CCD sensor gets dirty rather easily. Either clean it before the shoot or PS the dust spots away during the post processing.

It sounds like I’m complaining a lot about Hasselblad.  But when the image comes out, how I love the result. The quality of the image is unparallelled (unless it’s 8X10 film). The ISO 50 and 56 MB file size at 6088×4550 resolution on Hasselblad compared to ISO 100, 23MB file size at 5616×3744 resolution of Canon is crispier and cleaner. Every pixel is physically larger, so it’s less noisy. The dynamic range of Hasselblad for sure gives more room for manipulation than the Canon. It’s way more vibrant and satisfying for this shot. I do love my Canon camera. But for carefully set up shots almost like still life portraiture shooting, there is great merit in using larger format.

Extra benefit: you rewind it each time before pressing the shutter and manually switch to the F-stop you want. It gives such a nostalgia feeling like a film camera. It’s tangible and intimate. I heard that every Hasselblad camera body is hand crafted in Sweden for a year before coming out to market.

 

 

My friend Allan Gluck (pictured here with Mark), who is a philanthropist on the board of Esperanza Services, asked me if I’d like to shoot for their clients as free Christmas gifts. It has been a pleasure to visit their office in Alhambra and work with the crew. They are truly warmhearted people caring for others in need. They’re a group of happy and cheerful people.

The elves bring happiness to children.

Clients:

  

  

  

  

   

Staff:

  

This is the final post of the Kimono Girls in Wonderland series. Red Queen and the Card are the last two characters in this show based on Lewis Carroll’s book.

“Off with her head” The character of Queen of Hearts from Kimono Girls in Wonderland is modeled by Elizabeth. Her makeup is done by  Saiko Okagaki and her hair by Jun Zaemonn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden: the roses growing on it were white, but there were three gardeners at it, busily painting them red. … Why, the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake; and, if the Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know..”

The Card character from Kimono Girls in Wonderland is modeled by Amber. Her makeup is by Saiko Okagaki and her hair by Jun Zaemonn.

The show was a hit at “the Last Book Store” in downtown Los Angeles, California.  Kimono stylist Rinko Kimino accepts the crowd’s applause.

Check out more credits and behind the scenes stories at Kimono Days.

Producer/Stylist/Creative Director: Rinko Kimino
Assistant Producer/MC: Amelia Cantlay
Project Manager: Satomi Imai
Hair/Makeup Design Lead: Dali
Stage Director: Eriko Azuma

“In that direction, lives a Hatter: and in that direction, lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.” – Lewis Carroll

The Mad Hatter character from Kimono Girls in Wonderland is modeled by Erika. Her makeup is done by Kazuyuki Ervin Okada and her hair by Mayu Ikeyama and Kinuyo Takasima. Kimono Styling: Rinko Kimino; Production manager: Satomi Imai.

You’ve got to listen to her singing in the show. Such a wonderful voice.   

 

“‘I breathe when I sleep’ is the same thing as ‘I sleep when I breathe'” – by Dormouse from “Alice in Wonderland”. The Dormouse character from Kimono Girls in Wonderland is modeled by Gigi. Her makeup is done by Minaho Takahashi and her hair by Mayu Ikeyama and Kinuyo Takasima.

The trio has so much energy, it’s really fun shooting them. Kimono Styling: Rinko Kimino; Production manager: Satomi Imai.

When Alpha stepped in front of the camera, the naughty Cheshire cat came alive. Her makeup is by Minaho Takahashi; hair by Mayu Ikeyama and Kinuyo Takasima.

Every shot of of Hitomi works. The way she carried the Hooka prop and her expressions immediately brought the caterpillar character to life. Her makeup is by Tomoko Miyamoto; hair by Mayu Ikeyama and Kinuyo Takasima.