Story behind the shot(s)
Figured a good time to recount this event, as it’s the anniversary of Woodstock.
I was too young to go to Woodstock.
Bummer
Years later, there was an attempt at a re-creation bringing a ton of the folks that performed there.
Those that were still with us at that point.
Janis was gone, but Big Brother and the Holding company played.
Jimi, too, and his iconic version of the Star-Spangled Banner had to live in our collective memories.
Canned Heat, Chambers Brothers, Wavy Gravy, It’s a Beautiful Day, Country Joe & The Fish, Lee Michaels, and so many more played.
PLUS
Alan Ginsberg read from Howl to the rapt crowd. Meeting him was for me a major highlight.
Everyone let their freak flags fly and tried to recapture the vibe.
With less mud.
I shot with film.
Fast forward to a few years ago, on the 50th Anniversary, Morrison hotel Gallery invited Michael Lang, who was the main face of Woodstock, and had Henry Diltz, and Bob Gruen attend an opening of photos at the gallery.
Also included here are some shots of Baron Wolman, at a LA Gallery.
Plus, a who’s who of Woodstock photographers: Baron, Jim Marshall, Lisa Law, and Henry who all signed a classic photo from the event.
We have all seen, and probably used, a ring light.
Basically, this gives you a shadowless light that may be flattering, although EVERYONE has been using this!
If you don’t believe me, have a look at the eye in a screen grab. In what we call a catchlight, you can see the ring light on the eye.
Not saying it’s bad, but maybe it’s time to change up your setup to add a bit more distinction to your content.
Joby has designed a full lighting kit for the smartphone creator with a new attention to detail: a background light.
Sure, we all look at the latest camera bodies, glass, tripods, lights, bags (oh, the bags!) and more.
When it comes to your final output, what everyone will see, it’s about the tonal quality and color.
All of your post production adjustments are based on what you see on your monitor(s).
A little while back, I reviewed the Datacolor Spyder X colorimeter, and it has served me well.
When I am working on one monitor, that is.
So if that is your case, or if you work only on a laptop, that option is a great call.
However…..
I have begun the work on an upcoming book, and using multiple monitors, I needed to have the color match across them all.
Whether it is the post production on an image, or the layout of the book, having consistent colors across them all was critical.
That’s when I knew that the upgraded DatacolorSpyder X2 Ultra was the unit that would serve the project best.
Sure, they look the same, but the guts and software are the upgrade that was required. Continue Reading »
My VW bug was chugging its way up Telegraph Ave, like the little engine that could.
And it did!
That afternoon, on Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley, Talking Heads were doing a free concert.
As a new fan, it was not to be missed.
They did the hits, and in a very strange timing, they sang Psycho killer as we all found out that Mayor George Moscone & Supervisor Harvey Milk were murdered by Dan White, a former supervisor in SF.
Because of this tragedy, Diane Feinstein succeeded Moscone as acting Mayor.
The concert was crowded, and afterward and I found myself backstage. Don’t ask me how.
I ended up capturing this portrait of Tina Weymouth, the bassist.
A couple of years ago, there was a screening in NYC of Stop Making Sense, attended by Tina and her husband Chris Frantz, the drummer for Talking Heads.
I had my advance ticket, so I got a 16×20 print of the portrait to give to her on the night.
Decades later, the story came to a right conclusion.
While at CES 2023, part of the goal is to see what’s coming out new, that could be of use to all of you.
When I saw this Pivo Max, I couldn’t wait to give it a go, and see if it performed as expected.
What you have, basically, is a base that has a bluetooth connection to an app, which allows you to track your movements while shooting. Your camera will move with you.
The thing that brought me to their booth and impressed me the most was the strength of the motor allowing the use of a mirrorless camera.
As a content creator, you know that you need to push out your work in a variety of formats.
The most common being the 9×16 Vertical for social/smartphones, and the 16×9 for platforms like YouTube.
You may have thought that you need to shoot twice, once in each format, or compromise the framing to lean towards one or the other.
The Pivo Max does indeed have a strong enough motor to allow you to mount both a phone and a mirrorless camera to capture your content at one time.
It worked as expected! When I see products in a trade show, you never know how a production unit will behave. This did not disappoint!
Sure, you may say that anyone can mount both units and get the same.
But the critical difference when using the Pivo Max is the dynamic look when you add motion tracking to the equation.
By connecting via Bluetooth to the app, you can have your cameras track you by face, or body.
Now, if your content includes moving around a gym, in let’s say, a training video, or even a horse riding instructional this set-up will track you easily and make sure your shoot captures your vid.
Of course you can hire someone, to be the camera person. This setup lets you shoot as a solo creator!
The tracking on this app is so good, it was tough to get a product shot as I moved around to get the right light! It kept following me.
I’m showing a specific set-up getting all content in 2 cameras at once.
The Fuji X-H2 has a flippy screen so I could see the framing on the camera, and then I used the phone in a front facing camera so I could see what was being captured there. Like I said, a one person set-up. We all know that the front and back cameras on a phone have diff resolution, but for social, the quality is good. The Fuji gets the 4K files.
To activate the phone I use the included remote control. The camera was activated on the body, knowing I’d be editing that first part out.
You can just mount your phone, or tablet, horizontal or vertical on the base, or a tablet, and keep it simple. Probably a way most people will use this.
Maybe you just want to live stream, and a less complicated set-up is best.
I would also suggest connecting a good wireless mic system to complete the system.
For this review, I was just shooting video, no audio.
OK, you have a dual capture set-up, a single capture set-up, and there is more.
With a remote control included, you can also control the base via the app, or even without the app!
So, if you want that 180º or 360º shot you can easily do that with the remote. Either direction.
You can also adjust speeds of any of those movements.
I have looked at this category for years, going back to something called a Swivl, which used a large bulky tracker that you wore. Unwieldy at best.
The tech in this may appear simple, and it may be. It just works.
If capturing content, as a solo creator, with the ability to add dynamism to your video with a moving subject, I highly recommend this Pivo Max.
It does all break down pretty small and the phone mount has a ¼-20 standard screw mount as does the base. I just screwed on the camera, and as you see, added a cold shoe adaptor to the phone base to complete my set up. The Max does not come with that, but I’m sure you have one in your kit. If not, a cheap add-on.
I do use a Zhiyun tripod adaptor so the bottom can live on the base, and the top lives on the camera. I didn’t have to remove my fave wrist strap, the SpiderHolster wrist strap, my wrist strap of choice/
With this, an agent can give a virtual tour of a property. I think content creation is where we live, but that is just another use case.
The main base unit is rechargeable, with 10-12 hours of battery life. You can also charge your phone/tablet through the base while you record as well.
the remote uses 2 AAA batteries.
One thing I will say that you should look at your motion and see how how is all tracked.
In a closer , let’s say 6Ft distance, try to do smoother movements as the tracking is so good, it will stop and start moving as you do. No lag, but immediate.
There you have it! from the trade show floor, into a real world situation, the Pivo Max does exactly what it promised. It costs about $250, but I have seen it on sale for as little as $175 USD.
BTW, here is a video for another product on the line, with a motor best suited for a smart, not the full combo. You may want to look at the whole line to see which unit is best for you
Published on August 17th, 2023
You must be logged in to post a comment.