Photographing Monks at Midday

Last week I was urgently contacted by South Africa's Mail&Guardian newspaper to supply some images for an article they were running. It seemed like they were in a bit of a pickle as they were casting a big net by wanting a bunch of images, ten to fifteen they were asking, for a single article. Nobody, much less a leading weekly newspaper has space like that on offer, but besides, I was a little tied up marking some student portfolios so I declined.

The next day my phone rang and they said they were desperately needing images as an advert had been pulled. I decided to dump the day and gallop off to fill space for the national. This is not a post about wasting an entire day and evening supplying images that bore no resemblance to the published written article, but it is a post about trying to make things work in less than ideal circumstances.

 A long held mantra of mine, if you can call it that, is that a good photographer should be able to conceptualize and execute a decent usable image no matter the circumstances and limitations of the situation. Not having "the right lens" and "the light was bad" are two default excuses for bad images that my students seem to never grow tired of offering.

So it was that I had half a day to source and schedule a string of photo shoots as per the scantest of briefs that photojournalists always seem to receive. One of the shoots was at a Monastery with the alarmingly rural name of Mariya uMama weThemba Monastry and Guesthouse. Due to scheduling and deadlines I managed to arrange to meet the brothers, at about 14.30 when they would be happy to don their habits too. Knowing full well the light was going to be bad I at least consoled my self with the knowledge that they would be wearing nice rustic brown robes the same as in the days of old and that this would surely be graphically pleasing.

Under a burning, bright, cloudless, African sky I arrived for the shoot ... only to see the brothers wearing their white robes. It must have been brown robe wash day!

Anyway, as most photographers know white in bright light does not lend itself to simple exposures. The obvious thing was to take them indoors but the brief demanded "location and vista". I took them indoors anyway as there was a great window looking down into the valley. I bit of off camera fill flash took care of balancing and matching the outdoor light. Despite this, I was only successful in keeping detail in the valley, but lost it in the sky.

Canon EOS 7D. Sigma 18-50mm at 23mm. ISO 100. f/8@1/60th. External remote fired bounce flash at half power.

Working along the same principle I asked the two brothers to chat under the deep shade of a tree and hid the off camera flash behind the tree's trunk. Under powering the flash by about 1/2 meant I was able to maintain detail in the back as well as foreground.

Canon EOS 7D. Sigma 18-50mm at 18mm. ISO 100. f/9@1/45th. External remote fired flash at half power.

In the next photo I wanted them walking through the gardens and couldn't avoid the fact that they would be in bright mid-day sun. I under exposed by 2 stops so as to maintain detail in their robes, knowing that I'd maintain and deepen the blue sky but would maybe lose detail in the shadows. A little post production meant that I had a little to work with and could fractionally burn in some detail in each Brother's habit.

Canon EOS 7D. Sigma 18-50mm at 18mm. ISO 100. f/16@1/60th.

The final image just had to be taken. White robes and white peach blossom in a gorgeous garden. I took an aerial (ad)vantage by scrambling past the resident beehives and into the koppie/rock hillock. This time unfortunately I just didn't manage to under expose enough, only 1 stop, and you will see that some detail is lost and the sky is not quite as rich.

Canon EOS 7D. Tamron SP70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC. ISO 100. f/8@1/60th.

So although not perfect, some usable shots at least came out of the 50mins spent with the brothers. And it goes without saying (as I so often seem to end up saying) a little pre planning, even if it is a list of four or five spots to begin working from goes a long way, especially when it comes to pandering to silly deadlines.
(Thanks to Brothers Timothy and Julian for allowing me their time and their hospitality whilst roaming the monastery gardens)

Thanda and the new Tamron (SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD)

EOS 7D; Tamron 70-200mm @200mm; 1/350th; f/2.8; ISO 200

In June I decided to buy the new Tamron 70-200 f/2.8. Clearly I had agonised over the decision for months. As alway when buying more equipment, the key governing factors can be broken down into three categories. First is always budget. Second is need, and third is performance. It is a three-way seesaw.

EOS 7D; Sigma 18-50mm @40mm; 1/90th; f/11; ISO 100

Budget is self explanatory so I'll move right onto need. As photographers we are a very needy group of people. The manufacturers love us. We are so easy to hook into upgrading, expanding and spending. Need is not the same as want. I want a EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM. Can I continue to work as a professional photographer without one? Of course! When you have sorted out your budget, buying a new lens is all about balancing the budget against what serves you and your photography best. As an aspiring sports photographer, a 10-20mm lens might not be your best choice if you lack a lens with a bit of reach. Would the 10-20mm be nice? Yes! Would you probably get some decent sports images to expand your portfolio. For sure! But a longer focal length, given your aspirations and dominant type of photography will probably prove to be a better investment.


Thirdly, you have to balance the performance of the lens against your type of photography and shooting conditions. If you are even a little bit aspiring, lens performance and quality are important. Personally I do a very mixed bag of work from journalism and editorial type shoots to fine art and commercial photography. A relatively generous share of work is under poor lighting conditions. I do a lot of theater and performance shooting and other work in poorly lit galleries and in-doors. So fast lenses are important as is quick and responsive autofocus. IS/VR/VC/OC (image stabilization/ vibration reduction/ vibration compensation/ optical stabilizer) is also a must and (budget aside) you would be silly now days to consider anything less.

So it was with some concern that I read reviews on the Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 that suggested that the lens' focus was a bit slower than its twice the price canon counter part. From what I read quality was on a par, even better some people suggested. For some 'commentors' the slower responsive time was unnoticeable or negligible. Nobody, from what I read, came out particularly strongly against the lens' supposed slowness. I am a canon user and was spoilt back in the day when canon cleaned up the competition gamboling faster focus against changing their lens mount. So I gamboled a little too. I reasoned that the 'less responsive' tamron, when compared to the canon would be negligible. If the argument is merely a matter of hundreths of a second then it is marketing hoo haa and would bring little to bear to the detriment of my photography.

So I got the Tamron. And was I right? The answer is no. Having used the Canon 70-200 f2.8 II and now the Tamron I can tell you that the Tamron's slugishness is indeed noticeable. Not all the time, but in bad light, which is when I do quite a bit of photography (and when you need the rapid responsiveness the most) the Tamron takes a bit. In good light it is, in my opinion, on a par, but with strong back light the lens hunts far more readily than I am used to with the Canon version.

So what is the verdict? Do I regret buying the lens? Absolutely not. Do I wish it was a little quicker and a little more responsive? Yes I do. Will I still be able to work professionally and capture quality images that my clients love? Absolutely. I am a HUGE believer in working within your means. Too many photographers are too quick to blame their equipment (or lack thereof). Students of mine constantly claim to not be able to shoot sport or theater because they don't have an image stabilized lens. So I see red and remind them that the dawn of sport and theater photography did not begin when manufacturers brought in IS/VR/VC/OC or the like.

Below are some images taken during a recent wildlife and landscape photography workshop conducted in the Thanda private nature reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa. Thanks to team 'Girl Power' for their enthusiasm, eagerness and humour.

Team Thanda- June 2013, 'Girl Power'. Light painting with fill-in flash and torchlight. Canon EOS 7D; Sigma 18-50mm @ 18mm; 30 sec; f/5.6; ISO 200

EOS 7D; Tamron 70-200mm @200mm; 1/350th; f/4.5; ISO 100

A particular highlight of this photo workshop was meeting up with two, otherwise shy male Nyala antelope. Normally the males are solitary and retire in thick bush. During territorial disputes males engage in the most beautiful high-heeled, circular dance, heads lilted, fur fluffed and horns ready. EOS 7D; Tamron 70-200mm @152mm; 1/180th; f/2.8; ISO 800

EOS 7D; Tamron 70-200mm @152mm; 1/1000th; f/4.5; ISO 400

EOS 7D; Sigma 18-50mm @20mm; 1/45th; f/4; ISO 100