Category Archives:  Adorama Rentals

Sony NEX-5N: A Surprisingly Compelling Package, with Caveats

The Sony NEX-5N, with a no-doubt very similar Sony-made 16MP sensor to that found in the Nikon D7000, at half the price, could be quite a catch for filmmakers and photographers alike. For D7000 video shooters (we exist!), and with framerates at 24p and 60p, it’s a tantalizing B camera, especially considering that with adaptors you can throw pretty much any lens on it (although big footnote: the NEX-5N uses the AVCHD codec, while the D7000 uses MOV and H.264, which will lead to color correction issues in post). EOSHD has been playing with the camera and has a great post on how to tweak picture styles for a cinematic look; and video output is impressive. The NEX-5N also inherits the impressive low-light performance of the D7000, blowing its Micro-Four-Thirds competitors out of the water at higher ISOs.

It’s frustrating that Sony has enticed us with such a compelling package in terms of pure specs, while leaving in place the much derided P&S-inspired interface that plagued the previous iterations. To get anything like DSLR-level manual control, you’ll need to double up for the $1200 NEX-7. While the technical differences are not small – The NEX-7 sports the same 24MP sensor Sony packs into its APS-C flagship A77, and a 2.4M dot OLED electronic viewfinder, as well as three customizable direct-access control dials – neither is the price difference. In Steve Huff’s review of the NEX-5N, he doesn’t mince words: ”I have to ask myself…For the money does it get any better than this? The answer to that is NO!”

What do you think? Are you compelled by the NEX-5N as a backup camera, or would you go full-bore with the NEX-7?

Up Close & Personal: The Rules of Marketing Haven’t Changed

Nothing beats a good old-fashioned face-to-face meeting (image credit: Aidan Jones)

Photography has gone through many changes in recent years. Most of them dealing with how photography is captured, consumed and distributed. Despite all of the changes this industry is still built on the same principles as before. Shoot what your love and show the work to as many people as possible.

You can find plenty of information online about how to integrate twitter, facebook, tumblr and other social media websites with your photography. Yet for the working professional how much do these sites really benefit your business? Does the time and money invested into these sites really turn a profit?

I moved from Chicago to New York shortly after the Wall Street crash. I had to think outside the box when it came to finding new clients. I have advertised, mailed postcards, emailed and been listed with every major source book. All with very mixed results. These are all great ways to been seen by potential clients but they all have a major downfall. It’s not personal and you are just one among a very large and talented crowd.

The rules for showing your work never changed. I have found the single best way to get new clients is showing my portfolio in person directly to the decision maker. Then finding out which medium they prefer to be followed up with. This is where technology has helped. For many its email or another portfolio showing. While other buyers/art directors may prefer to subscribe to your blog/facebook/twitter page. Regardless of what you choose to follow up with the initial meeting needs to happen in person and you need to make it as personal as possible.

The Internet is a like a giant cocktail party and everyone is talking/commenting/tweeting/re-blogging/liking and you can keep score by how many followers/hits/tweets you receive. Yet how useful is all that information if you arent making any income from it? How useful is it when you dont have any REAL relationships? With the Internet intimacy is lost and the people who are making real connections are doing it the old fashioned way: in person. When was the last time you went took a potential client out to drinks or for lunch?

Like any service industry a lot of it is built on referrals. When you under-promise and over-deliver for a client they are most likely going to tell other people. Most of the work I get is on a referral basis now. One of the most important questions to ask is “How did you hear about me?” If it was from a past client make sure to let them know how much you appreciate the referral.

How do you get started making these in-person meetings? A good rule of thumb is to call five prospects a day every day. I keep a prospecting book and keep track of who I talked to, what we talked about and the last time they saw my book. I adapted this system from leading marketing consultant Keith Ferrazzi. If you need a boost in your marketing motivation I would recommend reading his book Never Eat Alone.

So pound the pavement, work the phones, keep track of photo-networking opportunities (ARC’s photo events calendar is a good place to start), because your potential clients aren’t losing sleep over lack of photographers, and art buyers don’t have their eyes glued to Twitter all day looking for the next big thing. You need to seek them out and show them your work… in-person!

——

David Paul Larson is a New York City-based fashion photographer creating images for leading magazines and advertising. 

Around the Adoramasphere

Around the Adoramasphere is our weekly roundup of the internet goings-on of the Adorama family.

FujiFilm X10 Premium Compact

At the Adorama News Desk, Mason Resnick covers the two exciting new announcements, first the FujiFilm X10, a beautiful new enthusiast compact with a zoom lens to take on the G12/P7000/LX5/S95 and their ilk; and the Samsung NX200 APS-C compact, coupled with four new NX-mount lenses, aimed at the Sony NEX-5N/Olympus E-P3.

On the Techniques and How-Tos blog, Mark Wallace guides you through the amazing non-destructive world of Smart Objects in Photoshop; Bryan Peterson explains how to use reflective surfaces in your photographs as a compositional tool, while Allen Rokach and Anne Millman explain some of the complexities and give tips on photographing through glass; Tamara Lackey interviews former Wedding photographer Kevin Kubota on why he’s leaving that market segment for commercial photography; and Bryan Peterson explains how to add an element of interest in the foreground in wide angle photography.

On the Gear Guides and Reviews blog, Mason has a hands-on review of the boundary-pushing and ever expanding Ricoh GXR System; Mark reviews the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II Tilt Shift Lens; he reviews the Pixlr-o-matic photo effects iPad app; and Fred Singer reviews the Looxcie wearable bluetooth camcorder, which could utterly transform how we record and share our experiences!

On this blog, Through The Looking Glass, I highlight an amazing new film analysis tool, Cinemetrics, which breaks films down into a variety of measurable statistics and produces incredibly useful dynamic graphic displays of the information;  and we highlight the week’s photography events agenda for the New York City area.

On Tech Tock, Mason takes the new Olympus Pen Mini to the US Open to see how it performs for sports photography; and Mason previews the upcoming lineup of Adorama Workshops in the newly renovated space.

 

 

New York Photo & Video Events

Our weekly events list from our New York City Google Event Calendar:

"The Mexican Suitcase" at IFC

Tue Aug 30, 2011

1pm – 2:30pm  |  Webinar: How To Create Interactive Web Videos In Adobe Encore CS 5.5
Where: http://www.filmmakingwebinars.com/webinars/how-to-create-interactive-web-videos-in- adobe-encore-cs-5-5/

ARC PICK  9:45pm – 11:15pm  |  Screening: The Mexican Suitcase
Where: IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10014

Wed Aug 31, 2011

12pm – 1:30pm  |  Screening: The Mexican Suitcase
Where: IFC Center 323 Sixth Avenue New York, NY 10014

5:15pm – 6:45pm  |  Screening: The Mexican Suitcase
Where: IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10014

Thu Sep 1, 2011

1:30pm – 3pm  |  Workshop: Final Cut Pro X
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

3pm – 4pm  |  Workshop: Apple Motion
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

3:30pm – 5pm  |  Screening: The Mexican Suitcase
Where: IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10014

7pm – 10pm  |  Opening: Mayumi Nashida “Longwave & Hurricane Bells”
Where: Graphite, 38 Marcy avenue, Brooklyn, NY

7pm – 10pm  |  Opening: Sandra Swieder “From Across the River” the story of Sept 11 from the NJ perspective
Where: Art House Productions (roof), 1 McWilliams place, Jersey City, NJ

7pm – 8pm  |  Workshop: Final Cut Pro X
Where: Apple Fifth Ave, 767 Fifth Ave, New York City, NY 10153

9:45pm – 11:15pm  |  Screening: The Mexican Suitcase
Where: IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10014

Sat Sep 3, 2011

10am – 6pm  |  Opening: Camilo Jose Vergara | “The Twin Towers and the City”
Where: Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029

Mon Sep 5, 2011

1:30pm – 3pm  |  Workshop: Adobe Photoshop: Getting Started
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

3pm – 4:30pm  |  Workshop: Apple Aperture
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

New York Photo & Video Events

Our weekly events list from our New York City Google Event Calendar:

Opening: Andrew Moore, "Detroit Disassembled" at Queens Museum of Art,

1pm – 2:30pm  |  Webinar: Video Compression for iDevices
Where: http://filmmakingwebinars.com/
webinars/video-compression-for-idevices

Thu Aug 25, 2011

1pm – 2:30pm  |  Webinar: VFX Plugin Essentials: GenArts Sapphire Edge
Where: http://filmmakingwebinars.com/
webinars/vfx-plugin-essentials-genarts-sapphire-edge

1:30pm – 2:30pm  |  Workshop: Apple Motion
Where: Apple SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

2:30pm – 4pm  |  Workshop: Final Cut Pro X
Where: Apple SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

7pm – 8pm  |  Meet the Filmmaker: Jesse  Peretz, “Our Idiot Brother”
Where: Apple SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

Sat Aug 27, 2011

1pm – 5pm  |  Workshop: Analyzing and Replicating Lighting from Great Cinema and other Art, with Peter Stein, ASC
Where: 1123 Broadway, Suite 307, New York, NY 10010

Sun Aug 28, 2011

12pm – 5pm  |  Opening: Andrew Moore | “Detroit Disassembled”
Where: Queens Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Meridian Rd. Flushing, NY 11368

Mon Aug 29, 2011

2pm – 3pm  |  Workshop: Apple Aperture
Where: Apple W 14th, 401 W 14th Street, New York City, NY 10014

We’re hiring! Join the ARC Team

Want to work in a exciting, rapidly-growing work environment with great people, coincidentally the best rental house in town? Join the ARC team!

Contact jacobw -at- adorama.com and vickv -at- adorama.com to inquire about these positions:

Position: Rental Agent
Adorama Rental Company is seeking full-time and part-time Rental Agents to meet the needs of our rapidly growing business. Customer service skills, desire to meet the customer’s needs and positive demeanor are essential. You will be interacting with pro photographers and filmmakers so fluency in photo/video terminology and concepts are needed.

The foundational skill necessary is the ability to multitask! Job responsibilities include efficiently placing and dispatching orders for walk-in customers, checking in returned equipment, answering customer questions and troubleshooting their problems. Willingness to go the extra mile to ensure each customer’s satisfaction is our primary goal.

Postition: Equipment Packer
We’re also looking for a full-time, dedicated, enthusiastic and long-term Equipment Packer. Demand is growing rapidly, and orders come in at a breakneck speed. Candidate must be able to efficiently and above all correctly fulfill orders. Experience with photo gear a plus. Hours and days are negotiable, but Thursday and Friday are essential.

New York Photo & Video Events

Our weekly events list from our New York City Google Event Calendar:

Alvin Baltrop at the Watermill Center

Thu Aug 11, 2011

1:30pm – 2:30pm  |  Workshop: Apple Motion
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

2:30pm – 4pm  |  Workshop: Final Cut Pro
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

Fri Aug 12, 2011

6pm – 9pm  |  Opening: “Group show: Ten, Eleven, Twelve, and Occasions, photographs by George Kuchar”
Where: MULHERIN + POLLARD, 187 Chrystie Street, New York, NY

8pm – 9pm  |  Meet the Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, “30 Minutes or Less”
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

Sat Aug 13, 2011

4pm – 12am  |  Opening: Dave Rittenger, Eric Martich, Kathleen Rugh, Liz Rodda, Phil Stearns “Brooklyn Creative Launch Party” curated by Caitlin McGarry, Justin Lin
Where: Rabbitholestudio, 33 Washington street, Brooklyn, NY

Sun Aug 14, 2011

3pm – 6pm  |  Opening: Alvin Baltrop “Selected Works” curated by Noah Khoshbin and Dmitry Komis
Where: The Watermill Center, 39 Watermill Towd Road, Water Mill, NY

Mon Aug 15, 2011

3pm – 4:30pm  |  Workshop: Aperture 3
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

Around the Adoramasphere

Around the Adoramasphere is our weekly roundup of the internet goings-on of the Adorama family.

Ricoh GXR A12 mount module

At the Adorama News Desk, Mason Resnick covers the hotly anticipated announcement of the new Ricoh A12 M-Mount Module for it’s innovative GXR compact, providing an exciting new opportunity for Leica enthusiasts looking for an inexpensive entry-point to the coveted brand.

On the Techniques and How-Tos blog, Mark Wallace introduces season 2 of AdoramaTV, including two new shows with pro photographer hosts Bryan Peterson and Tamara Lackey, new skill level categorizations and regular photo contests; Bryan Peterson introduces his new segment on AdoramaTV, You Keep Shooting, with an episode explaining how to make an overcast scene pop by lighting the foreground with a portable flash; Mark shows how to adjust flash and ambient exposures seperately when shooting with speedlights; Mark reviews Canon Lenses Plus, a comprehensive iPad guide to Canon Glass; Mark interviews Adventure and Lifestyle photographer Tom Bear; Allen Rokach and Anne Millman deliver part 2 of their discussion of when to pose your subjects when traveling; and Mason reviews the best rugged compact cameras out there.

On this blog, Through The Looking Glass, we delivered our weekly roundup of photo and video events in New York City, including workshops, lectures, openings and industry meet-and-greets.

On the Gear Guides and Reviews blog, Mark reviews the Lupo 101 Quadrilight 2000 cool studio light, a powerful, flexible and portable fluorescent light for photography and video.

Around the Adoramasphere

Around the Adoramasphere is our weekly roundup of the internet goings-on of the Adorama family.

On Tech Tock, gallerist Michael Foley explains how to narrow your vision and find a voice in your photography.

On this blog, Through The Looking Glass, we contribute our thoughts on the latest release of Zacuto’s Great Camera Shootout 2011, a rigorous test of cinema-grade cameras; and we highlight the week’s photo and video events in New York City.

On the Techniques and How-Tos blog, Mason Resnick describes his long-lasting love affair with street photography in New York City; and Mark Wallace explains how to stitch together a group of photos to create a panorama.

On the Pro Audio blog, Kristin Pinell & Kurt Reil explain basic miking techniques for recording rock music.

On the Gear Guides and Reviews blog, Mark reviews the Olympus Pen E-P3; Mason reviews Micro Gaffer tape, a more portable version of classic Gaffer tape; Greg Scoblete reviews the iPad 2 to see if it’s still king of the tablets; and he contributes two buying guides, one for HDTVs at a variety of price points; And he explains the various HDTV technologies to be aware of.

At the Adorama News Desk, Mason wraps the week’s photography news, including new black and white film stocks from Lomo, a fashion shoot with the revolutionary new Lytro technology, which allows you to choose the focal plane after you shoot, and pricing for the new Olympus E-PL3.

New York Photo & Video Events

Our weekly events list from our New York City Google Event Calendar:

Donna J. Wan - At the Edge of the Lake - 2011 - Klompching Gallery

Donna J. Wan, "At the Edge of the Lake" at Klompching Gallery

Tue Jul 19, 2011

ARC PICK  6pm – 8pm  |  Opening: “La Carte D’Après Nature” (Group Show) Curated by Thomas Demand
Where: Matthew Marks Gallery, 522 W. 22nd St., New York, NY 10011

ARC PICK  6:30pm – 10pm  |  ADHESIVE NYC* – STICKING CREATIVES TOGETHER
Where: The Frying Pan, Pier 66 (at 26th St. and the West Side Highway), New York, NY 10001

Wed Jul 20, 2011

ARC PICK  5pm – 8pm  |  Opening: “Yale MFA Photography, 2011″ curated by John Pilson
Where: Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery, 534 West 24th st, New York, NY

Thu Jul 21, 2011

1:30pm – 3pm  |  Workshop: Final Cut Pro
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

3pm – 4pm  |  Workshop: Apple Motion
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

6pm – 8pm  |  Opening: “Fresh” Klompching Gallery’s first annual open photography exhibit curated by Darren Ching, W.M. Hunt
Where: Klompching Gallery, 111 Front street, floor 2, Brooklyn, NY

6pm – 8pm  |  Opening: Beautiful Vagabonds: Birds in Contemporary Photography, Video and Sound | Group Show
Where: Yancey Richardson Gallery, 535 W. 22nd St., New York, NY 10011

6pm – 8pm  |  Opening: Laura Levine “Musicians”
Where: Steven Kasher Gallery, 521 W 23 street, New York, NY

6pm – 8pm  |  The ArtBridge Drawing Room presents: The Nature Opening Reception
Where: The ArtBridge Drawing Room, 526 W. 26th Street, Studio 502a

ARC PICK  7pm – 8pm  |  Meet the Filmmakers: Brit Marling and Mike Cahill, “Another Earth”
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

Fri Jul 22, 2011
11am – 10pm  |  Opening: Hannes Schmid “Human Currents The World’s Largest Pilgrimage” | Curated by: Becky Bloom, Beth Citron
Where: Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011

Sat Jul 23, 2011
10am – 5pm  |  35mm black and white film intensive full day workshop
Where: 10 Jay street, suite 523, Dumbo Brooklyn

Mon Jul 25, 2011
1:30pm – 3pm  |  Workshop: Adobe Photoshop – Project Tips
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012

3pm – 4:30pm   Workshop: Apple Aperture
Where: Apple Store SoHo, 103 Prince Street, New York City, NY 10012