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Volume 1, Issue 2
http://architecture.timwilkes.com
(P) 585 423
1966 ∙ (F) 585 546 5457
Greetings
and welcome to our second newsletter (if you missed the first and would like to
receive it, please let us know.). What a year it has been! We’ve been traveling
constantly and have had the pleasure of working with several new clients since
last summer. Thank you for your trust in
us. Here are this issue’s topics:
Location and Travel
Since last Spring when our first newsletter came out, we’ve found ourselves in
the Mid-West on several occasions. We
saw Lake Geneva, Minneapolis, Detroit and Cleveland. I’m not sure if Cleveland
is considered the Mid-West but it was an interesting change of scenery none the
less. We found ourselves in South Florida for most of the winter. The new year
will take us to many new places, including a possible assignment in Denmark. In
the near future, we will be in Charleston, Jacksonville, New York City and
Miami so if there is anything we can help you with in those areas, please let
us know.
Technology
I touched on the subject of digital photography briefly in our last newsletter. Now I thought I would elaborate and hopefully answer any questions you may have on the subject. As always, I’m happy to discuss your concerns individually. I’m only a phone call away.
As I
mentioned earlier, we are now using a high resolution digital capture back on a
new view camera that has been designed specifically for this use. While many
photographers are switching or have switched to digital capture, more often
than not the cameras of choice have been Digital SLR cameras. These look and
feel the same as traditional 35mm cameras and use the same lenses. The cost is
as low as $1500.00 for the “Pro-sumer” versions and as high at $7000.00 for the
best professional models.
I had several concerns with this kind of camera when I began my research and still do now that I own a few. First and most obvious, is while the quality surpasses that of 35mm film, it is still a far cry from 4x5 film.
Secondly,
there are no tilts or shifts on these hand held cameras with the exception of a
limited number of available “shift” lenses. To correct the perspective
distortion that is common with architectural shooting, the photographer has to
rely on computer manipulation and is not able to see the actual final
composition in the camera. In architectural photography, composition is so
important that I can’t imagine working that way.
Lastly,
the available wide angle lenses for SLR cameras were never designed for high
resolution capture and have inherent “barrel” distortion to them. This is a
result of being “retro-focus” lenses, which is required in order to have enough
space for the flip-up mirror inside the camera body. All in all, this was too
much compromise for my liking.
So why
not explore digital capture solutions that will feel more like the 4x5 view
camera we are all used to? That’s exactly what I thought. However, there were
many hurtles to overcome in order to get there. Cost was the first one. At
$32,000.00 the high resolution digital back cannot be considered lightly. And
in order to use it, a new view camera and whole new line of lenses specifically
designed for high resolution capture were required. These brought the total
cost to the point where we nicknamed the system our “Convertible Mercedes”!
It’s not
as fun to drive but I will say it has completely changed architectural
photography and I’m happy to say, for the better. So much more is possible that
we could not easily do with film. Our workflow is more consistent and the
quality of our files is finer than our previous scans from 4x5 film. Given that
almost all printing these days is being done digitally, the comparison to
scanned film is an important one.
Summary
Well that
was a lot to say and I’m sure I lost some of you to the tedious technical
details. In the end, the most important thing is how great the pictures are and
that the quality is good enough to do everything you might want to do with
them. Great pictures come when a photographer is not held back by the equipment
he or she is using.
Seeing is
believing and I’d love to show you in person sometime. I know you will be happy
with the results so let’s work together on your next project!
If you
have any thoughts on subjects you would like me to talk about in a future
newsletter, please let me know! For the next one, I think I will touch on the
subject of digital image storage. Are your images safe and will you be able to
turn to your photographer to replace lost files? Until next time …
Best
Regards,
Tim Wilkes
http://architecture.timwilkes.com
(P) 585 423 1966 ∙ (F) 585
546 5457
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