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New Developments; (scroll down for original article.)
A Blog of sorts as we move further into the "digital convergence"

07/07    High Speed Digital Archives

07/07    Software Upgrades

06/07    New Location Notebook Computer

05/07    HP Z3100 printer is up & running

04/07    Z3100 44" 12 color printer is on order

09/06    We plan to buy new HP Z3100 44" 12color printer

07/06    We support Blu-ray

06/06    Digital files shot at up to 39 mega pixel

01/06    Upgraded Computer Network & RAW processing

03/05    Expanded output capabilities

02/05    Web image review from shoot location, nearly real time.

12/04    New 16.7mega pixel system acquisition

Fall 2004   16.7MP System announcement

Summer 2004   Move from Film to Digital begins

2002      Current state for Digital Capture vs Scanned Film

click link above or scroll down to read each of these

Just a note here to mention that in my writings I often say "we" when it may be apparent that what I mean is "I". Because I am dependent on the dedicated contributions of my wife and partner Diane, my assistants and my vendors I think it's appropriate to use "we" collectively for all those involved in "our" business.

JULY 2007: We are now moving towards building a high speed digital archive. Between 2005 and mid 2007 we produced over 500 DVDs just to backup our clients projects. This has become ever increasingly difficult to manage. We want to offer our clients the resource of obtaining files from previous jobs quickly. Having fallen behind on archiving and cataloging those archives in a fashion that can be reviewed and the disk identified and retrieved has become too big a project and has fallen in priority due to our current workload.

The solution is that we are investing in several 2TB NAS drives. A terabyte (TB) is 1000 gigabytes (GB) or the equivalent of about 230 DVDs of storage space. A NAS is a Network Attached Storage device which most typically contains 4 hard drives setup in a RAID so as to protect the integrity of the stored data should one of the drives fail (or rather when a drive fails which over time is inevitable).

Each 2TB NAS can hold up to 1.5TB of data in a protected RAID5 configuration. To backup our entire digital archive going back to 1996 will require a total of 3 of these 2TB NAS units. Everything up until earlier this year is already backed up to DVD or CD. We will continue to make physical backups,  but only of original RAW files, key progress files and final files, reducing the total files backed up to DVD by over half.

We plan to to this until writable 50GB Blu-ray discs are available at affordable costs (about 18months) at which point we will rearchive everything in the NAS array once a quarter for either offsite storage or storage in our fireproof file cabinets onsite.

The advantage to our clients will be that we will have all of our archive available on our network at all times. We will be able to find files in just a few minutes, even if those files are up to 10 years old!

JULY 2007: We have upgraded all of our Adobe software to CS3. In part, because we have our new location laptop we have purchased upgrades for our Adobe products. Up until now we have used individual products from Adobe including Photoshop (v2.5, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, CS1 & CS2), Premiere, Acrobat Professional, After Effects, etc. We now for the first time have invested in a Suite package; Production Premium CS3.

While Adobe's new Photoshop CS3 and several Suite packages have been shipping now for a couple of months we have waited for the release of the photo/video Suite: Production Premium CS3 because it offers us and our clients the most complete selection of tools for our projects. As you may know we produce not only high end photographic illustration but also industrial, training & promotion videos, website development & hosting, marketing material design & printing (such as brochures, pocket folders & direct mail), logo design, as well as CD/DVD duplication, and prints of all sizes including trade show displays.

For the first time in it's history Adobe has upgraded nearly it's entire catalog of software at one time. This gives us the unique opportunity to utilize the new tools not just in a single program, but in many programs as well as better integration between each program.

Way back in 1998 I wrote an article in which I claimed to embrace the emerging digital convergence. At the time I was talking about how a scanned piece of film, once digital could be used on a website, printed or incorporated into a video. With this new software package it has never before been easier for us to leverage the content we create for our clients to it's maximum potential!

A few new things we will be exploiting in this new Suite;
Photoshop CS3 Extended - CS3e incorporates some additional video tools as well as some 3D tools which allow the import of CAD files directly into Photoshop. In the past our clients have had to export their CAD files for us to use in print & video. With Photoshop CS3e we will have many more options. Photoshop CS3 also includes several powerful new features including non-destructive filter layers so we can save fewer versions of our clients files making retrieval from our archives simpler and more efficient.
Premiere Pro CS3 - The new version has not changed much but does add better HD video handling and  more effects previously only found in After Effects including variable time slow motion (Time remapping). Premiere can now handle layered Photoshop files without requiring flattening or selecting only a single layer.
After Effects CS3 - After Effects has long been referred to as the Photoshop of motion editing. Now Photoshop has many of the controls of After Effects and AE has several features from Photoshop.
Flash CS3 -Now that the Flash player is more widely available on existing computers it is great to see that we can export Flash movies directly from Premiere. We can also produce Flash movies compatible with many handheld devices and phones. Photoshop now allows us to make an animation and export it to the Flash format for use as a website element. We are learning to use Flash to it's full potential in our video distribution and website design & hosting.
Encore CS3 - We can now produce menu driven presentations on Blu-Ray as well as DVD, CD and Flash interactive web & disk based formats.
OnLocation CS3 - This tool allows us to record video directly to our new laptop hard drive eliminating the need and time restrictions of tapes. In addition to see and manipulating the video file immediately this program also provides a number of diagnostic tools to help ensure the highest quality results.
Ultra CS3 - In combination with OnLocation, Ultra allows us to make live green screen videos in which we can replace the background with video or still images seeing the results as we shoot.
SoundBooth CS3 - Adobe's new sound editing program gives use better control of the sound tracks, narration and music tracks of our videos.
Illustrator CS3 - While I normally don't use Illustrator much (I haven't upgraded my copy of Illustrator since v7) it's useful for manipulating and converting vector graphics, type and logos.


JUNE 2007: We will have a new location notebook computer that offers real-time on-site application of visual effects, EV-DO broadband to our dedicated server & Blu-ray HD video burning capabilities.
Our new 15" Sony laptop offers all of the cutting edge features including bluetooth, video conferencing and the latest chipset (Intel Santa Rosa), but the real news is how we plan to use it on location;

By connecting our camera and our 15" LCD TV to the laptop we can shoot from the computer, loading the exposure into a variety of imaging programs. With Photoshop CS3 (part of the Adobe Production Premium Suite to be loaded on the notebook) we can apply several preset non-destructive, editable filter effects as layers. This is also displayed on the external monitor which the on-site client can review without having to hang over our shoulder.
Next month we will post examples of this to show how the filters can create a unique look suitable for marketing without permanently changing the original file, allowing for more literal applications of the image as well.

In additional we can then upload the image to our on-line dedicated server via a Sprint EV-DO cellular broadband card which will allow clients off-site to view the shot, while the camera is still in front of the subject! This can save thousands of dollars in travel cost and lost productivity for clients that otherwise would have to be at the shoot. We originally conceived of this idea over 2 years ago (see 02/05 below), but can now offer it without the client committing to a minimum project budget (previously $15,000). The only additional cost is the additional production time required on set and a minor cellular/server access fee.

In addition to using these tools for our still photography we can also do the same using our professional video equipment and upload a streaming version of the video or burn the video to DVD or HD Blu-ray disc on the spot.

MAY 2007: Our new 44" 12 Color State-of-the-art printer is now up & running. We just produced a limited series of promotional posters that are 42"x53" in size. The design includes a single, full bleed shot from our 17megapixel digital camera system along with titles and graphics. The glossy print does not require lamination and is water and fade resistant (HP says for 200+ years!). The shot is of a grey car with a dropped in puffy cloud blue sky and feature the bright red Brembo brake calipers that can be seen through the wheels. The grey car really makes the brakes stand out, but previous attempts to print this shot on our other printers typically gave the car a subtle unwanted color cast. From the first print our new Z3100 made the car absolutely neutral gray while giving the color elements in the product and the sky a vibrant richness.

So impressive are the prints produced by this printer that we plan to sell or retire our other 4 photo printers. The Z3100 prints even low res 80ppi files better than the Kodak DS1000 we've been using for years. It outputs up to 1200x2400dpi from source files as low as 80ppi or as high as 1200ppi. The outputs on gloss or satin finish HP Instant Dry paper are touch dry as they come out of the printer. The printer will output on 24", 36", 42" & 44" wide stocks edge to edge borderless so no trimming is required. We are currently testing additional output materials such as backlit, adhesive and 100% rag fine art paper.
Pricing for outputs is available here.
 
APRIL 2007: We have ordered our new 44" 12 Color State-of-the-art printer. We expect to have our new printer setup, tested and running by May. We have already updated our print price lists to feature this printer, but will for the time being continue to offer prints and murals from our other in-house printers including our HP 6color 24", Kodak 4color 36" and Fujix Pictrography (up to 8.5x11). Once the new printer is online we will offer more details, but expect to in addition to standard prints some exciting options. We will be able to offer Museum Quality Giclee Fine Art prints for the first time. These are printed on 100% cotton rag paper made by German fine art paper producer Hahnemühle, who has been producing fine art paper for over 400 years. We will also be able to make back-lit trans murals and offer complete packages that include trans mural and choice of light box fixture or the new cutting edge credit card thin light panels.

SEPTEMBER 2006: HP officially announces new generation of Large Format Printers. We have been investigating a replacement for our 36" printer ever since we started using our 24" HP 130nr last year. HP has announced a new line of printers for well under $10,000 that will allow us to produce prints of unparalleled color gamut, color accuracy and size. We plan to have a 44" 12 color printer online in-house sometime in the first half of 2007. This will allow us to offer incredibly beautiful prints which are said by HP to be "Museum Quality" and with fade resistance up to 200 years! With a 44" printer we will be able to offer larger sizes than ever before including 40x60 & 40x80 murals. In addition to printing on gloss or matte finish photo paper we may also offer canvas, watercolor, self adhesive, transparent films and backlit materials as options. Prints can be mounted on GatorFoam or plastic Sintra or sandwich laminated allowing them to be unrolled from a portable size and used as tradeshow displays with Velcro backing.

JULY 2006: The new battle between the next generation of optical media standards has begun. We have been watching the new heavy weight battle over the new standard for optical media expected to replace DVD. This is between Blu-ray and HDDVD as formats for this new high capacity media. While the battle which has been compared to the VHS vs BetaMax battle of the '70s it may have much more at stake. Consumers will largely decide this battle by choosing which format to buy and rent movies for High Definition playback. Current DVD formats lack the capacity to play full length features in true HD (1080p). Toshiba & Microsoft are backing HDDVD and Sony & Pioneer are backing Blu-ray. The benefits of Blu-ray make it a clear winner for our applications, so no matter what the long term outcome of this marketplace competition we will be investing in Blu-ray.

What are the benefits of the Blu-ray choice? 2/3rds more capacity. The Blu-ray disc can hold 25Gb of information on a single layer disc (twice that on a dual layer disc). The HD DVD can only hold 15Gb, barely enough for a studio release HD movie. We plan to buy a PlayStaion3 game console this coming Xmas season mainly because it will include a built in Blu-ray disc player, and at about 1/2 the cost of a stand alone player. Next year (2007) as prices drop we will invest in Blu-ray disc burners for our office work stations. This will allow us to backup our huge project file directories onto fewer discs. We currently backup to dual copies of DVD-R with a capacity of approx. only 4.3GB. A single shoot may yield RAW files and processed TIFF files easily in excess of the capacity of a single DVD. We are rearchiving our CDs from 1996-2002 on to newer DVDs. We will also be rearchiving our DVDs to Blu-ray. This insures that the discs we store on site and off (in fireproof file cabinets) protects the work we produce for our clients for years to come. 

As a side note; if you are looking at buying an HD television because you want the best picture possible then be sure it will playback 1080P. Most sets available today do not support this resolution. More common is 720P and 1080i (which has been described as 540P). I was at Costco the other day and on close inspection I saw that all of their HD sets we're 720P. By comparison I was in a BestBuy with a wider offering and could see the superior quality on a 1080P vs the 720P, but of course this also requires a high quality signal source (DirecTv offers 1080P for a few channels, but requires a special receiver box.) The DirecTv HD Tivo (HR10-250) is only 1080i. All 1080P televisions offer HDMI input to allow upconverting of lower resolution sources. Not true 1080P, but as close as you can get from a non 1080P source.

What you may ask does this have to do with photography? Please read on, as we are in a period I call "the digital convergence" where all things related to media are becoming digital in one way or another and will interblend into forms that are less distinguishable then they once were. Everything I produce is or becomes digital. As such it can be printed on paper or presented on a monitor ( a monitor on your desktop, in your boardroom or your livingroom, perhaps on your cell phone or one day to you eye glasses. At Proshooter we embrace this convergence and try to take advantage of it for the benefit of our clients, leveraging the full potential of the image and the message.

JUNE 2006: Another leap in the new digital technology! As we wait to see if a 24MP replacement for our Canon 1Ds Mk II system (photo at top) will be announced this September we attended a seminar by a very small company that produces digital backs for new and existing medium format camera systems. These backs attach to the camera where a film cartridge would normally go. They offer the option of converting to high quality digital without replacing the entire system of professional bodies and lenses built up over many years. They offer resolution as high as 39MegaPixel!

In the past we have largely ignored this type of digital solution because the sensors in these backs tended to only cover the center of the image area, effectively doubling the focal length of our lenses (35mm becomes 70mm). This is a problem for shooting the very types of subjects a higher resolution camera would be the most benefit. Subjects shot with "long lenses" like portraits for example to not require this type of resolution. Wide view subjects such as architecture, automotive and aircraft interiors however can benefit from higher resolution.

When we first considered digital backs (way back 3-5 years ago) they were only 16-22MP, offering really no advantage over the system we currently use. The new backs, however now offer resolutions up to 39MP which by itself introduces a some limited benefit. However in combination with the software which drives this back allows live preprocessing of the RAW files to which a wide number of corrections and effects can be applied and previewed while the subject is in front of the camera. We recently saw a video of a shoot in which the photographer was forced to shoot a fashion catalog on a drizzly, overcast day. This would normally be a nightmare and a complete disaster, but the shooter using a digital back was able to apply a number of effects to the image in combination with his lighting which we're so dramatic that on the computer screen it appeared as if it were a sunny day. This of course requires the camera to be "tethered" to a computer, most typically a powerful laptop. The manufacture promises that the next release of the back and software will incorporate wireless technology cutting the cord between camera and computer.

The new 39MP backs also have significantly larger sensor coverage. They now cover almost 82% of the full frame width. Our 35mm based digital system has a full size sensor and can utilize the full width of a 16mm "Professional Class" lens, or even a 12mm "semi-professional class" lens. These translate to  96+ and 112+ degrees horizontal. A typical consumer "point and shoot" digital camera offers a wide angle view of only around 45-55 degrees (higher numbers mean wider view). But extremely wide angle lenses typically add curvature distortion, particularly at the edges. And all but the best pro lenses have terrible focus fall off and chromatic aberrations towards the edges of the frame as well. Much of this can be corrected by software, but this also introduces other complications (such as noise to name one). By contrast, our "SuperWide" medium format camera uses a special designed body with a permanently mount lens to offer 91 degrees of view. Not quite as wide as the 35mm based lenses, but it is a perfectly flat, distortion free view without the curvature and aberration problems. This is a remarkable camera/lens system. 82% of this view (the coverage of the digital back) is about 74.5 degrees, or about equal to a 24mm lens in a 35mm based system with a full sized sensor. Not as wide as the 16mm, but this offers a distortion free image at 39MP!

As to the cost. These digital backs price at around $30,000 each. I once dropped and destroyed a $600 film back while on a ladder. At $30K I would need insurance by the day to cover even the remotest possibility of such a disaster. At present our studio cannot make a business model for buying equipment in this price range, but we do have options to offer this cutting edge technology to our clients. Rentals of the backs are available to us for about $1500/week. With insurance and  overhead factored in we can offer this option to clients for an additional fee of $1950 per shoot, no matter if that shoot lasts a few hours or up to 5 days so long as the period falls within 5 continuous days (allowing us to ship, inspect and return the equipment). We already own both medium and large format cameras and lenses compatible with these new digital backs. We also have a powerful laptop and the prerequisite software to take full advantage of the versatile effects, options and resolution the back offers.

After September and the presumed announcement of a newer version of our current digital system we will revisit the option of permanently including a high-end digital back in our kit or just make an incremental upgrade to the new 22MP system as it becomes available. The rental option for the medium format back will be available either way. We are committed to offering our clients the very highest quality and the best overall value in the work we produce to meet their needs.

Does this new technology and the options it offers appeal to you? Would you be willing to pay a premium for the benefits it offers? If so, please let us know.
 
JAN 2006: We've now been shooting digital exclusively for a year with no regrets. We've improved our workflow and color management to bring proofs to our clients in a matter of hours and deliver final publish ready files within just a few days of the shoot. While we have no plans to sell our camera systems, we are expanding our digital capabilities. We have invested in our dedicated web server, our computer work stations, our on-site studio, our studio & location lighting equipment and in our output options. Clients are amazed to be able to review, tweak and approve shots as they are taken. We shoot all jobs in camera RAW format for the highest quality and post production control. Every job is archived for future use in pre-post RAW as well as the final post produced TIFF and/or Jpeg files. Our client's feedback has been pretty much unanimous; they are extremely happy with both the process and the results, giving them as much control as they wish and results that demonstrate value.

MAR 2005: We've added a third digital printer to our office. Printing up to 24" wide and 50feet long this 6 color inkjet printer produces 2400dpi vivid color prints that will last up to 70 years! This printer falls in between our Fuji Color Dyesub printing up to 8.5x11 and our Kodak DS1000 36" mural plotter. Because of the high resolution and archival quality of the images we expect it to be our main photo imaging printer for the foreseeable future.
Learn about print/output options here

FEB 2005: On both studio and location shoots we are now using a portable 15" LCD TV to preview shots with our 16.7 MegaPixel digital camera system. Far superior to reviewing digital shots on the small 2" screen on the back of the camera, we can zoom into the smallest detail and know right there and then that we have the shot. We are now also looking into developing a portable wireless system in which we can transmit images directly from the camera to a laptop computer, prep the images and upload them via a cell phone to our webserver for instant review to or from anywhere in the world over the internet! Imagine being able to direct a shoot and approve final images from your desk while we are on location virtually anywhere! This service is available now on any assignment with a total budget over $15,000.
Eventually we may add live video feed allowing even greater remote participation.

DEC 2004: In addition to replacing our 24" Trinitron CRT monitor with a pair of 20" LCDs we now have our new 16.7 MegaPixel camera system. While 16.7MP is the highest available today in a full size digital sensor, but there more to it than just image pixel size. Combining Canon's finest lenses with this camera's state-of-the-art CMOS sensor and processing CPU this system produces images comparable to medium format film. This offers the advantages of quick turnaround by removing the need for film processing & scans prior to post production image prep. We will however continue to offer both digital and film (medium & large format) for our client's projects as they best fit their needs.

Fall 2004: Canon has just announced their new state-of-the-art 16.7 MegaPixel Professional Camera Body. This system utilizes the high quality "L" Series Canon lenses we already own and shoots full frame without "multiplier factor". This is excellent for our wide angle work, perhaps in conjunction with our Hasselblad SuperWide film camera system. While this new camera is expected to be $8000 for the body alone, we plan to purchase one as soon as it is available before year's end.

Summer 2004: I recently heard that at least one of our local competitors was selling all of their film equipment to move directly into digital. They said they were also going to buy the new 8 Mega Pixel camera from Canon rather than the more expensive 11 MegaPixel version to save money.

We are not going to make either of these compromises. We will continue to offer both film and digital. On the film side we will continue to support all of the major formats, small, medium and large with both negative and transparency films until they are no longer available. On the digital side we will continue to invest in the "state of the art" or close to it to offer our clients uncompromising image quality and resolution. Our soon-to-be-acquired 16.7MP system is full frame and has a superior CMOS sensor (see below). This system is reasonable comparable in quality to our Hasselblad film systems. We can use either or both, whichever suits your needs best.

Original Article (sometime in 2002 with some updates);
It started about 10 years ago, actually the introduction of digital camera was long before that but about 10 years ago professional photographers started to take notice. Back then the sensors used in these cameras were far inferior to modern films. They produced small files that instead of grain had "noise" produced by these early CCD type sensors. Today however we are on the edge of a new revolution where the latest digital cameras will replace film systems completely. Click here to find out more about film verses digital.

We have recently invested in the first of these state of the art digital camera systems. This current system produces a high quality 18Mb-36MB 16bit file with virtually no "noise". The system allows us to shoot several hundred shots very quickly without reloading as it utilizes a high capacity memory card. The files produced of course do not have to be scanned, and can be quickly downloaded, manipulated if desired and sent via the internet to the end user such as a publication. In many cases we can do this directly from our shooting location.

The images produced by our traditional film systems are still far superior as they can produce scanned files that are several hundred megabytes. This detail allows for greater enlargement and cropping of smaller areas of the shot. As of early 2004 our digital camera systems are 6-11mega-Pixel. 4000dpi scans from medium format film are the equivalent of 81 mega-Pixels!

The files from the digital system are limited in size plus the sensors do not allow wide angle views like many of our film systems. Because the digital sensors are still small they only record the center of what would otherwise be a wide angle view. This makes them less then ideal for many of our subjects including architecture, automotive interiors and some editorial applications. 

But technology is not stopping here, nor is it even slowing down. In the next 2 years we will be upgrading our first digital systems with the next generation of digital cameras. These cameras will also use the state of the art CMOS type sensor, but the sensor is larger, the same size as film, allowing the use of wide angle lenses to their full view. Additionally the next generation of digital camera systems will produce files which are nearly twice as large, making the image much more accommodating to applications requiring great enlargement or cropping.

We will continue to move forward, taking advantage of this revolution, the digital convergence as long as it benefits our customers by allowing us to produce high quality photography and marketing materials for them at an ever increasing value for the dollar.

We will be recommending to our customers the option of shooting with our digital camera systems when fast turn around is a top priority and when the eventual use of the image will be limited, not to ever require a very large file size. Another advantage is there is no material cost as the system uses rechargeable batteries and of course requires no Polaroid, film or processing.
Many of our competitors charge a "capture fee", as yet we do not, however as we make greater investments in our digital cameras and lenses we may need to do this to recover some of the capital costs. Take advantage of our services now to avoid this additional cost.

We will continue to recommend our traditional film camera systems for most applications until they no longer offer superior image quality, file size as it bares on enlargement and crop options as compared to the digital systems. I predict this transition will take 3-5 years. 

Whether we start with a digital file or a scanned traditional negative, over 90% of our work is delivered in a digital format. This digital file of the image may remain a file on a disk or sent over the internet for use in a publication, website or video or it may be output  as a print or mural. The digital prints we produce are indistinguishable from conventional photographic prints. They are not really good inkjet prints. They are printed by laser on photographic stock. To learn more about our output options click here.