Author Archives: Jaren Wilkey

Setting the Gold Standard – BYU’s Mark Philbrick

Posted on by

By Nick Romanenko, Rutgers University

Photo by Mark A. Philbrick/BYU

The hospitality room at the Miami Inn, Oxford Ohio, not in the southern climes of sunny Florida, was packed following the banquet that closed out another annual UPAA symposium. I was tending bar, making sure the guests were well tended to as they spent the waning hours of Friday night catching up with friends they probably wouldn’t see face to face for another year. Brigham Young University senior photographer Mark Philbrick had just captured his seventh Photographer of the Year award earlier in the evening, and was being approached with congratulations from colleagues as he made his way across the room.

By the time I saw Mark I was struck by the glazed look of euphoria on his face. He was obviously very happy, stunned, buzzed. Perhaps the reality of the moment was still sinking in, but then there’s no one else who has had his experience with this kind of moment in the thirty plus years he’d been a university photographer. He had won six times before, twice the number of any other photographer.

Continue reading →

Share

Aperture Magazine teams up with the UPAA

Posted on by

Aperture Magazine has joined the UPAA family and will be sponsoring an award for the Annual Print Competition (APC). Aperture Magazine will award a subscription to the photographer who has the highest scoring print in the Personal Vision category of the APC.

Created in 1952 by photographers and writers as “common ground for the advancement of photography,” Aperture today is a multiplatform publisher and center for the photo community. In addition to publishing a quarterly magazine, Aperture also produces between twelve and fifteen new photobooks and books about photography each year. They also publish e-books, apps, and a daily blog, as well as online features on their website.

We are very excited about this relationship with one of the most prestigious photo magazines in the world. Members attending the Symposium in June will receive a copy of the latest issue of Aperture Magazine.

Share

My Fuji X-10 and me: A love story

Posted on by

Photo by Kelly Gorham/Montana State University

By Kelly Gorham, Montana State University

The first camera I ever got to play with was my father’s Regula Werk King that he purchased while serving in the Army in Germany. It now sits on a shelf in my living room and over the past several years I glanced at it and longingly wished I could have a digital version of a camera like that. Yes, of course there are the Leica’s but…well, we’ll discuss my bank account another time.

Along comes the Fuji X100. On the surface it was exactly what I’d dreamed of, classic styling and high-resolution images. However, it wasn’t perfect, and if I’m going to spend over $1,000 I want what I want. I waited patiently until the arrival last fall of the Fuji X10. Compact, retro, and cheap, this is what I’ve been dreaming of. I put my name on a list and received my X10 in a glossy, black box one day this winter.

Photo by Kelly Gorham/Montana State University

As a Nikon shooter I did have a bit of a learning curve while learning the X10. With some practice use of the X10 became second nature to me and I’ve had the opportunity to put it through its paces the past few months. I love using the wrong tool for the job so one of the first things I did was attached a Pocket Wizard transmitter to the X10 and do some studio photos of an apple. I was then able to take the X10 with me while on assignment in Washington D.C. It proved to be a wonderful travel camera.

The Lincoln Memorial – Photo by Kelly Gorham/Montana State University

The 28-110 zoom range and f2.0 lens satisfied most of my needs and its compact enough to carry in a pocket. There are several options for shooting photos ranging from the rangefinder window to live view. I dislike live view and would prefer to save batteries so I stick with the viewfinder. This is a true rangefinder, meaning, what you see is not what you get. You actually get to think like a photographer again, for those who are old enough to remember rangefinders, view cameras and the like.

The X10 does a great job up to iso 400. Pictures are a bit grainy after that. I’ve already run some of the photos in our university publications and they held up just fine. Would I take it on a crucial commercial or editorial assignment? Doubtful, but it’s perfect for when I want to travel light and still get photos that are publishable and my experiments prove that I can connect this camera to whatever lighting system I like or just shoot au natural.

Photo by Kelly Gorham/Montana State University

Another wonderful feature is the silent shutter. You can turn on some artificial sounds but I love how quiet it is. I even tucked it under my shirt with the lens peeking out between the buttons to take photos in the Library of Congress while standing in between the tour guide and the “no photos allowed” sign.

So, if you’ve been looking for a retro, compact camera with enough poop to publish or print then I recommend you take a look at the Fuji X10. For less than $800 it’s plenty fun, functional and discreet.

Photo by Kelly Gorham/ Montanta State Unviersity
Share

Donald Page on Scott Kelby’s Blog

Posted on by
Photo by Donald Page/University of Tennessee

Our own Donald Page, staff shooter for the University of Tennessee Athletic Department, wrote a guest post on Scott Kelby’s Blog. He shared his insight on how to overcome the fear of failure in our photography. He also shared this video created by his university to showcase his work:

Donald Page – University of Tennessee Sports Photographer from Donald Page on Vimeo.

Share

The Nikon WT-5A Wireless Transmitter

Posted on by

By Glenn Carpenter/Moraine Valley Community College

  The Nikon Wireless Transmitter WT-5a, Photo by Andrew Daddio/ Colgate University

“This changes everything.” This was my first thought as I watched the behind the scenes video of Brigham Young University photographers using an iPad at a photo shoot. I watched as the art director held the iPad and the images appeared, I was amazed. This is the future of photography.

I quickly put together a list of what I needed to make this magic in Illinois. Along with the link to the BYU video I submitted the request to be just like BYU! The iPad and Eye-fi card arrived a few weeks later. The only problem is that I use Nikon. You see a Nikon D3 only uses CF memory and the Eye-fi card is SD memory. With the help of an adapter, I eventually got it to work but it was not perfect. I was not like BYU.

To create an ad-hoc network (1) Choose the Network connection from the Set UP menu, (2) Turn the network connection on, (3) Choose the type of network connection, (4) Connect the iPad to the network.

When my new D4 arrived it also had the new WT5a wireless transmitter, an additional option. I was cool like Mark and Jaren, almost. Set up was quick an easy, I chose to use the ad-hoc method, a direct connection to the iPad. The WT5a generates its own network that the iPad connects to via the web browser. The iPad can now view the images on the camera, but they are not downloaded to the iPad. There is an option to download selected files, but because I shoot RAW files the time to download is prohibitive.

The interface for controlling the camera with your iPad.

I have used this setup several times to the delight of art directors. They love seeing the images appear and it keeps them from hovering over your shoulder to see the screen on the camera. The big drawback is the power consumption. You will quickly go through a battery on a long shoot. This is a small price to pay for the convenience and the distance from the art director it provides. As I explored the possibilities or this new accessory I noticed that the camera could be controlled via the iPad. Not just a few controls but almost all of them; shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focus mode, and even live view!

How can I use this new power? I can use it to be cooler than BYU! Mu Wah haha! Sorry, a moment of Dr. Evil. This option of camera control is useful when looking through the camera is not convenient. One of these situations presented itself the other day. Why I was asked to shoot this photo is not important. Anyway, I need to photograph water drops reflecting pencils. The set up is quite simple but my back gets tired leaning over a camera.

Water drop shoot set up. The syringe is used to accurately place drops of water. Photo by Glenn Carpenter/Moraine Valley Community College

This is the perfect situation for the iPad! Depth of field is critical and trying to decide if it is to little or too much while leaning over a camera can be frustrating. Once I get the shot composed I can adjust aperture and ISO to achieve the perfect shot. The iPad also allows you to zoom in on the image on screen to check focus. This is cool.

Mark and Jaren, I have my water shot,  I used the iPad, but I am not yet as cool as you. As all Cub Fans say, “Maybe next year.”

Glenn Carpenter is the current President of the University Photographers’ Association of America and has been a photographer at Moraine Valley Community College for the past 22 years.

Share

The Nikon D4 Review

Posted on by

Photos and Text by Andrew M. Daddio/Colgate University

Full Disclosure: for the past twelve years all of my personal photo gear has been Canon bodies and lenses. I used to diss on Nikon, quite heavily I may add, until the introduction of the Nikon D3, which really leveled the playing field, if not taking a quantum leap forward. I shoot with Nikon for work, and I still retain and shoot with my Canon gear, but i do on occasion consider jumping ship to Nikon…

A great portrait session where you are able to break through your subjects’ apprehension and genuinely capture the personality of the individual you are photographing… Gaining access to environments and situations that many people will never see… Solving a technical challenge or exploring an untried technique that produces a new body of work… The rush of excitement you receive after seeing the image in the viewfinder as you click the shutter, or when it pops up on the back of the camera, and realizing that you have just captured a great and iconic portfolio shot… Continue reading →

Share

Dancing in the Rain – BYU Photo

Posted on by

By Mark A. Philbrick and Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo

A few months back we were approached by our dance department to create a poster for their upcoming concert. One of the featured numbers involved students dancing in the rain so we thought that would make the perfect poster, as long as we provided the rain. In case you were wondering, we kind of have an affinity for water shoots as of late (Softball - Gymnastics). Continue reading →

Share

Spartans Will. 360

Posted on by

Our own Kurt Stepnitz just started a 7 week marathon trip around the world working on a multimedia project for Michigan State University. This is the first in a series of posts chronicling his journey:

Michigan State University producer Kevin Epling is thinking if there’s any way this is all going to fit. We still photographers have it easy I must admit. Photo by Kurt Stepnitz/ Michigan State University

To my colleagues and friends of the UPAA,

After months of planning and about a 30-person support crew behind us, there are 7 weeks of travel and story gathering ahead. Tonight begins a journey for a crew of 10, certainly like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Continue reading →

Share