Here’s a quick run through of my lenses (except the 150mm which is in storage), all shot wide open in my kitchen.

I might not have nailed absolutely perfect focus (it’s 2am here!) so please bear that in mind. And also bear in mind that these are shot wide open, where resolving power of the lens is at its lowest.

Would love to try some of the latest generation AFD lenses on this camera!

40mm @ f3.5:

crop:

80mm @ f2.8:

crop:

110mm @ f2:

crop:

180mm @ f2.8:

crop:

Once you have found an illegal use of one of your images, you can contact the site owner and do one or more of the following:
- demand payment for usage
- demand removal of image
- threaten legal action
- offer continued use on condition that a link to your website appears next to the image

You should make a screen capture to document the infringement. Personally I don’t bother to threaten non-commercial bloggers with legal action, but I do get the images removed. This will help to get the message across that images are generally not public property and not free to use. If the blogger does not co-operate, most ISPs hosting the sites will have a help page showing how to report the copyright infringement and get the image removed. I have been successful at this at least 90% of the time.

If the image is used on a commercial website, then the value of your infringement claim may be significantly higher – you may want to seek legal advice to establish the amount of the claim. Happy hunting!

Then Ricoh (a large enterprise making photocopy machines and compact cameras among other things) bought Pentax, which was previously owned by Hoya. Again, this seems like a positive move. Ricoh was interested in buying into the expanding DSLR market. One can only hope that Ricoh will help Pentax to continue its success with both 35mm and 645 format digital cameras. For more on this story, see http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/ricoh-acquires-pentax-eyes-growing-slr-market/51767

On a slightly different note, I just learned that Leaf has introduced an optional Gold Package to go with its digital backs, increasing the warranty term to 3 years and offering one free mount swap during that time. Current price: €2,000.

As my first season in Cape Town comes to a close, I can reflect on the whole experience and how much I have learned.

Locations:
There are many great locations in the Western Cape area, whether they are beaches, rocks, mountains, valleys, rivers, waterfalls, townships, various genres of architecture, etc The downside is that Cape Town as a whole has been saturated with film crews and stills photographers for so long that the industry is seen as a money pit. It’s unusual to find a private location which hasn’t already been used, and the chances are the owner is so tired of being asked that he/she will demand a fairly significant location fee. Basically all public locations require a permit. I tried to get a straight answer from the permits office about when exactly a permit is needed, and the clerk kept contradicting himself. The security guards are even more clueless and will shut down a shoot even if it is on private land (happened to me). Moral of the story: get a permit to be safe.

Weather:
The weather over the ‘season’ (Oct-Apr) is mostly very dry, warm and sunny. I saw about 4 rainy days in my first 3 months. This is ideal for many kinds of work, although you might sometimes wish for more overcast weather and diffuse light. The main issue is the infamous Cape Town wind. It can make shooting very difficult – even if you can use a strong assistant and multiple sandbags to keep a softbox from being blown away, keeping a model’s hair and clothes under control is not so easy! Moral: shoot in sheltered locations or indoors on windy days.

Models:
During the season, there is a large influx of foreign models, mainly from Germany it seems but I also met some from the US, Sweden, Spain, UK and Holland. There is a very good selection for commercial work and even a decent selection for fashion. There are some great local models too. This should not be an issue.

Pro equipment rental:
This is another strong point in favour of production here. There are many film and stills rental outlets with a wide selection of gear. Everything you are likely to need is here. There are even businesses which specialize in the making of props, and other special effects.

Hair and make up:
There are many local and international hair and make up stylists around for the season.

Wardrobe stylists:
For me, this was by far the weakest link in the production chain here. I liked the folios of around 8 stylists across the various agencies, but they are generally booked out, sometimes months in advance. No matter how good the stylist is, there is little available for them to bring to set that isn’t very commercial/mainstream. Talking to other photographers here for the season, I realised that I was not alone in having this problem. The best solution I found was to go to the Style Council, in Gardens, which specialise in a fashion wardrobe, as opposed to a general clothing wardrobe, however the selection is still not very large and there is nothing haute couture on offer, of course. Moral: if you want to do anything out of the ordinary, especially high fashion, bring your own wardrobe/stylist.

“Blow Up” (1966)

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman (2008)

Smash His Camera (2010)

What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (2008)

Contacts, Vol. 1: The Great Tradition of Photojournalism (1988)

Contacts, Vol. 2: The Renewal of Contemporary Photography (1992)

Contacts, Vol. 3: Conceptual Photography (2005)

“War Photographer” (2001)

Annie Leibovitz: Celebrity Photographer

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens

American Masters – Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye (1999)

Masters of Photography: André Kertész

Masters of Photography: Edward Steichen (2006)

Masters of Photography – Diane Arbus (2006)

Richard Avedon – Darkness and Light (1996)

Ansel Adams – A Documentary Film (2002)

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye (2006)

William Eggleston In the Real World

Helmut Newton – Frames from the Edge (1989)

American Photography: A Century of Images (2003)

The Adventure of Photography (2002)

The Genius of Photography (2007)

Chased By The Light – A Photographic Journey With Jim Brandenburg (2003)

National Geographic’s The Photographers (1996)

Photographer: Alfred Eisenstaedt (2003)

W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult (1989)

Click to enlarge