Gersh Photo Post | Max Gersh | Multimedia Photojournalist

Let me start off by saying this is a techy and camera-specific post for shooters.

Chris Lee is an excellent sports photographer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Apparently, he is also excellent at reading the owner’s manual to his Canon 1D.

Many professional photographers shoot their camera in a full manual mode to ensure they have the most control of the exposure. This works great until the subject you’re tracking runs into a shadow and your settings are now three stops off.

For years, I’ve just quickly spun my camera’s dials to compensate. But usually by then, the action is over or the exposure isn’t right on.

That was until I read about the “Chris Lee button.” What a wonderful discovery.

To get to the point, on the back of the Canon 1D series cameras (original & MarkII), there is a button third from the right at the top. Most shooters use the button with the asterisk ( * ) as the focus button. It is the one to the left of that. It is labeled WB, +/-, and an X-shaped box. That button can be programmed to switch camera modes while pressed.

For example, I could be shooting in manual when my subject runs into a shadow. I am already pressing the ( * ) button so I move my thumb left less than an inch onto the WB, +/-, X button. That switches my camera instantly into AV (aperture priority) mode and adjusts the shutter speed to match my preset f-stop setting.

With the press of one button, your camera will continue following focus and get an accurate exposure in AV mode. As soon as you release the button, it goes back to the manual settings you last had.

AMAZING.

So, how do you do it?

You must have a computer with the Canon Utilities program installed and the camera connected via Firewire. In that program, you can activate the personal functions of the camera.

1. Enable personal function #6. This is the only step you have to do on the computer.
2. Go to the personal functions menu on the camera and turn on #6.
3. Set your desired exposure settings for when you hit the WB, +/-, X button. For me, that’s AV mode and f/2.8. The ISO wont change from manual your exposure.
4. Press and hold the +/- (exposure compensation) button on the top of the camera next to the backlight button.
5. Simultaneously press the WB, +/-, X button.
6. Press the WB, +/-, X button to select.

This didn’t entirely make sense for me. That is because you have to make sure some other settings are in order.

If you have custom function #11 set to 2, then you have to press and hold the magnify/AF point select button and the WB, +/-, X button simultaneously.

You will also need custom function #18 set to 0.

When you do this properly, you will see a small square appear in the top right hand corner of the top LCD screen. You’re exposure settings have been saved to that button.

While this setting was discussed on SportsShooter a few years ago, I am just now coming across it. I find that many shooters don’t know their cameras have this setting.

Chris Lee revisited the topic recently when he got his 1D Mark IV. Apparently it is now a stand-alone custom function.

Thanks for sharing this Chris. It is a great tool to have a thumbs length away.

With the economy in such poor shape, it’s no surprise that we have been seeing layoffs nationwide in all industries. But few have been as hard hit as newspapers.

I was an intern at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch when a round of layoffs swept the newsroom. No one knew what was happening. I walked in the building and was stopped with many others at the security desk. The guards had a list of names of people they weren’t supposed to let back in. Veteran journalists were held at the counter while I was let through.

On my elevator ride to the newsroom, I started to put the pieces together. I told my coworkers what I had seen. Others’ stories confirmed the rumors of a layoff.

It wasn’t long before you could sense the fear in the building. The company high-ups were going around cherry-picking people one by one. In a grim reaper fashion, they were tapped on the shoulder and escorted out. This went on for hours.

My internship was finite so I had no real fear of being terminated. But I was just as nervous as the other photographers that were huddled together in the photo well.

Just like cancer, no one ever thinks they will be the meat hitting the floor after the layoff axe comes sweeping through. Today, I learned that lesson the hard way.

High-ups from Paxton Media Group, the parent company of The Courier-Times, came to the office. My position was one of three that was eliminated. My last day is Oct. 3.

While the door in New Castle, IN may be closing, I am optimistic for the opportunities that may present themselves.

Wish me luck as I once again take those bold footsteps into the unknown.

Some assignments can sound that boring. I’ve been told to go out and photograph a building for a story. Too many times.

Most architectural photographers will either use tilt-shift lenses on a 35mm camera or some sort of larger format of camera that can adjust the lens and film planes accordingly. This is because on a standard lens, the lines on a building appear to converge. This is known in the photographic world as keystoning or tombstoning. Proper usage of a tilt-shift can keep the lines straight.

That being said, I’m not an architectural photographer. I need a nice image that gives clear visual representation of the pictured building. I try to turn a building photograph into a building portrait.

To make an interesting photo of a building, I often rely on fundamental photography skills. Look for unique angles. Find patterns. Wait for nice light.

For me, this often leads me to look up. I have had editors say that the ground should be included in building images to provide a reference point for the viewer. I can see that justification in some circumstances. However, I shot some of my most compelling building photos (if you can truly call any building picture compelling) while looking up.

I had to shoot an under-construction apartment building for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I took one photograph that included the ground and gave a view of most of the building.

The Ford apartments building remains boarded up at the intersection of Pine Street and 14th Street. Max Gersh | Post-Dispatch ©2008

I thought it was kind of boring. However, it showed what the building looked like. This building is filled with patterns so I started to experiment with my angles until I found something I really liked.

When I looked up at the building from the sidewalk, my eyes followed the not-so-yellow brick road. The building’s inherent depth almost gives the illusion that it is laying on its side.

The Ford apartments building remains boarded up at the intersection of Pine Street and 14th Street. Max Gersh | Post-Dispatch ©2008

As much as I enjoyed the above picture, I wanted to find a better way to illustrate this particular building. I tried to work with the available patterns and incorporate the building’s awning which included its address.

The Ford apartments building remains boarded up at the intersection of Pine Street and 14th Street. Max Gersh | Post-Dispatch ©2008

I liked the idea but not the execution. The photo was bland. So again, I moved around, got close and looked up.

The Ford apartments building remains boarded up at the intersection of Pine Street and 14th Street. Max Gersh | Post-Dispatch ©2008

This photo incorporated the best parts of each photo. Angle. Patterns. Awning. Address. This was the published piece.

I recently had to shoot another building. Since this building is only a block away from my office, I was able to wait for opportune lighting.

First I looked for patterns.

An old cigar ad remains on the side of what will be the Maxwell Commons in downtown New Castle after much of the building has received a coat of paint. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Then I looked for a better angle.

Restoration on the building that will be the Maxwell Commons is well underway in downtown New Castle. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Both photographs ran in the paper.

These are by no means Pulitzer winning photos. They are representative of how a photojournalist can rely on artistic knowledge to compose a printable image of the most mundane and static subjects.

Most people can enjoy or appreciate a spring shower. It takes a bit of a unique personality like that of my own to enjoy strong storms that produce heavy rain, hail, lightning and occasionally tornadoes.

I have what one might call a slight obsession with storms. There is something soothing about them even thought they can often be incredibly violent.

When I know storms are coming, I listen to NOAA weather radio, SKYWARN frequencies and constantly monitor live Doppler radar images from my phone or computer. All of this is in hopes of positioning myself to photograph the storm.

Out of pure interest, I took a weather spotter training course. I figured that this was another tool to have in the belt to ensure my safety and best position myself.

These past two weekends, I have been in St. Louis. Both times, I was greeted with tornado sirens. On the first occasion, I was in St. Louis City. There were too many trees and closely grouped buildings to see the clouds and where the storm was coming from.

The next weekend, I was a little further out in rural St. Louis. As the storm clouds rolled in, I went out.

Storm clouds that later set the greater St. Louis metro area under a tornado warning roll in over Gravois Bluffs. ©2010 Max Gersh

The sky looked ripe to produce a powerful storm. The only problem is that is was almost night time. The sky was so dark, it would be impossible to see the tornado coming. Thinking safety first (which I don’t always do), I retreated to my girlfriends apartment in Fenton where I could watch the skies from a basement window.

As the storm geared up overhead, I put my camera on a tripod and started taking long exposures out of the window in hopes of capturing some nice lightning shots. While lighting photography is always a bit of a luck game, it proved to be more difficult than usual that night.

There were many tremendous bolts. However, many of those were overexposed because of the high volume of cloud lightning that served as a large, soft skylight.

Here are a few of the better images I made. Keep in mind that since I was inside seeking shelter, I didn’t have the luxury of changing angles. Also, the spots on the pictures are rain on the window I was shooting through.

A lightning bolt strikes the ground in rural St. Louis while the area is under a tornado warning. ©2010 Max Gersh

A lightning bolt strikes the ground in rural St. Louis while the area is under a tornado warning. ©2010 Max Gersh

A lightning bolt strikes the ground in rural St. Louis while the area is under a tornado warning. ©2010 Max Gersh

It wasn’t until later that I knew how close the tornado was to passing directly overhead. One of my friends who is a storm junkie similar to myself took a screen shot of his radar software as the storm was declared to have a confirmed tornado.

This image shows the relative storm velocity. It essentially measures wind speed and direction relative to the storm itself. This is a key element used in predicting tornadoes.

I was at the “A” marker, approximately.

This radar image shows the relative storm velocity of a storm that produced a confirmed tornado in the St. Louis area.

The pink warning polygons are areas under tornado warning while the green are flash flood warning. Obviously, they can and do overlap.

If you notice the red patch on the radar image just south of the “A” marker, that is an area of the storm with winds moving in a different direction than the storm itself. That is where the tornado was.

I’m hoping to get a tornado photograph by the end of this storm season. It’s too bad that all of the strong storms that I run into have been at night.

If there was one valuable thing about photography that I learned in college, it was the science behind lighting.  Understanding the inverse square law and how multiple lights can affect an image proved to be invaluable to me.

While I was at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I had an editor give me the idea of shooting a food set with multi-point lighting. The basic multi-point setup includes three lights. One each to the left and right and one from behind. The problem is I only have one light - my Canon 550EX Speedlight.

While I was realizing how impossible this was with my gear, my editor opened my eyes. Why not set the camera on a tripod and shoot a long exposure. During that time, I can walk around with my flash off of the camera and fire it manually multiple times from multiple angles.

Voila. Max’s quick and easy multi-point lighting was born.

The one problem with it is that it is very hard to replicate an image. You can never get the light exactly where it was before. This is one of those situations where you shoot a lot with a general idea and hope for the best.

The first time I attempted and accomplished this technique was exactly one year ago on location at a Brazilian restaurant in the Central West End of St. Louis called Coco Louco Brasil.

Monday February 16, 2009 Coco Louco Brasil Foreground: Espeto Misto - kabob with pricanah (brazilian steak), smoked sausage, shrimp, filet mignon wrapped in bacon, chicken wrapped in bacon, onions Background: Tostada de Camarão - shrimp sauteed in Bobo sauce served on toasted garlic bread. Max Gersh | Post-Dispatch ©2009

For that shot, the camera was set for a four second exposure at f/16 and ISO 100. If I remember accurately, I fired the flash three to four times.

Coincidentally, I used the same technique today.

I was given the last minute assignment to shoot a group of local high school wrestlers that have advanced to the state championships. I wanted to isolate them in the image. I turned off all of the lights in the room and fired the flash twice - once from each side.

New Castle wrestlers (left to right) Connor Mullins, Brenden Campbell, Alex Catron and Cody Fellers will compete Friday and possibly Saturday in the Indiana High School Athletic Association state championships. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

This time, the camera was set to a two second exposure at f/8 and ISO 400. I also was using the Gary Fong PowerSnoot on my flash.

With one light and forward thinking, any image is possible.