Corporate Photography – Page 2 – Robert Seale's Blog

Photographing an Industrial Deep Sea Diver for Scuba Diving Magazine

Brian Lacey, an industrial deep sea saturation diver for Scuba Diving Magazine.

We recently did an editorial shoot for Scuba Diving magazine for a special issue they put together on the “Dirtiest Jobs” in the SCUBA diving industry. The photographs were commissioned in various parts of the country by different photographers: a salvage diver, a diver from a nuclear reactor facility, a police investigator, an underwater logger, a croc-wrangler, and our cool assignment: an “industrial deepwater saturation diver.”

Our diver was a nice gentleman named Brian Lacey, and he travels all over the world diving deep underwater for the oil and gas industry, repairing rigs, working on pipelines, etc. He spends up to a month on the job, living like an astronaut in a small pressurized chamber. He’s been as far down as 900 feet, but on average works at around 300 feet below the surface.

I’ve taken many oil and gas portraits, but this was my first chance to photograph an industrial diver, and I was pretty stoked.

Photo assistant Michael Klein and I photographed Brian on a dock in Galveston with his super heavy deepwater dive gear. We used two Profoto B-4’s and one Profoto Acute 600B. I scouted the location previously, and due to the recent downturn in oil prices, several offshore rigs were parked in port, which provided us with a great background normally not seen next to shore. It worked perfectly for the story, and the photo gods blessed us with a wonderful colorful sunset to complete the assignment.

Brian Lacey, an industrial deep sea saturation diver.

The double truck layout from Scuba Diving Magazine's "Dirtiest Jobs" issue. — The double truck layout from Scuba Diving Magazine’s “Dirtiest Jobs” issue.

Executive portrait photography for Barron’s

I recently had the opportunity to create some executive portraits for Barron’s magazine. Barron’s, founded in 1921 is a weekly publication published by Dow Jones, and each issue features a profile of a mutual fund manager. We’re pushed to shoot these fund manager portraits in an interesting way, often with an environmental portrait link to their hobbies or interests…something more creative than a person at their desk.

Our feature subject for the issue, Juliet Ellis, the Portfolio Manager of Invesco’s Small Cap Equity Fund, suggested a great location for her portrait, the Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute, where she serves as a board member. I was already familiar with the space and the personnel there, having photographed healthcare annual reports in the past for the hospital. In the morning, we knew that it would make a fantastic “light and bright” portrait location….definitely a welcome departure from the average trading desk photo.

Although we had fantastic natural light for most of the shoot, we supplemented the ambient with just a low power “kiss” of light from a Profoto B4 with a Plume Wafer 100. We didn’t want to disturb any of the cool natural shadows around her in the background on these, so we stuck with the small source and even added a Lighttools grid in some of these to focus our light and keep it from spreading everywhere.

We couldn’t have asked for a more lovely and patient subject, and our friends at Barron’s of course created a fantastic layout with excellent display.

Juliet S. Ellis, CFA, who is the CIO, US Growth Equities, and Sr. Portfolio Manager at Invesco Advisers, Inc., photographed at Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas on Wednesday, July 15, 2015. © 2015 Robert Seale/All Rights Reserved. — I thought the inset in the wall made a great composition, framing her face nicely.

Remembering Houston medical pioneer Dr. James H. “Red” Duke

Dr. Red Duke, on the Life Flight Helipad at Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center on June 2, 2008. © 2008 Robert Seale. Robert Seale Photography www.robertseale.com 832-654-9572 — Dr. Red Duke, on the Life Flight Helipad at Memorial Hermann. © 2008 Robert Seale.

Houston lost one of it’s most iconic characters this week. Dr. James H. “Red” Duke passed away at 86. Dr. Duke was a true medical pioneer, founding the Hermann Hospital (now Memorial Hermann) “Life Flight” air ambulance service during the 1970’s. He was one of the first faculty members of the UT Health Science Center at Houston (now known as UT Health), where he taught several generations of medical students the intricacies of trauma surgery.

Dr. Red Duke was instantly recognizable to millions of people through his television health reports, which were syndicated on stations all over the country in the 70’s and 80’s. He was known for his signature signoff, “I’m Doctor Red Duke,” delivered in a frontier Texas drawl that was more Texas cowboy than brilliant trauma surgeon.

Dr. Duke often masked his considerable intellect with folksy country humor, and a friendly bedside manner, which gave comfort to his trauma patients and their families during difficult times.

In addition to his many medical laurels, he also was an Eagle Scout, received a divinity degree, served as a tank commander in the US Army, was a yell leader at Texas A&M, rode horses, created western art, and grew up with Willie Nelson.

Early in his medical career, he was one of the emergency room doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas responding to the assassination of President Kennedy, and was widely credited with saving the life of then Texas Governor John Connally who was wounded while riding with the president.

The doctor ordered a CT scan of the brain and in order for the child to lie quietly and motionless, it was necessary to apply Valium that would allow the procedure to be done. Learn more at website https://tysonmutrux.com/valium-online/. The child fell asleep, woke up two hours later. The first hour after waking up he was sluggish and sleepy. It was very nervous for me. An hour later I fed him a bit. Three hours later the child returned to his former state, walked and ate as before.

I grew up watching Dr. Duke on TV, and in 2008, I was lucky enough to photograph him on the helipad at Memorial Hermann. We had no guarantees that there would be a helicopter for our background, as the aircraft were out and about, delivering critical patients to the hospital. When the doctor arrived a little later than our optimal sunset time, he apologized: “Sorry – I was in surgery….had to fix up a guy up who decided to wrap his car around a pole.”(or something to that effect).

I think he was 79 at the time, and still working every day.

Building roofs are windy anyway, doubly so with helicopter rotor wash all over the place as you’re trying to shoot photos. I’m sure it was equally difficult for Dr. Duke but he was unfazed. We had several volunteers helping out the assistants to keep the lights safe and secure. My favorite moment with him came at the end of our photo shoot….he had been very patient with us, and as we were starting to pack up, two rather attractive young women from the hospital (who had been graciously helping us out), asked to have their photo taken with Dr. Duke. As he stood in the middle and posed with his arms around both of them (in heels they were both quite taller than him…), he looked down at me and said, “You can take as long as you want to now…”

Happy trails, Dr. Duke.

Corporate Industrial Photography for ExxonMobil 2014 Annual Report

SEALE_Oil_and_Gas_refinery-001 — Long exposure of Oil and Gas facility in the Middle East under a full moon glow.

Last year we had the awesome opportunity once again to create some really interesting oil and gas photography for ExxonMobil’s corporate annual report. I’m very proud to have worked with this incredible company for many years. We usually have several assignments that take us around the world, and this year was no exception. We photographed oil and gas facilities in Scotland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and West Texas. We also did a few days of offshore oil and gas photography in the Gulf of Mexico, shooting from helicopters and living aboard a state of the art offshore drilling platform and drill ship.

For the European portions of the assignment, assistant Travis Schiebel helped out and we had a lot of cool experiences, including being surrounded by sheep while shooting long evening exposures near a plant in Scotland.

After a morning sunrise shoot in Antwerp, we were having breakfast, enjoying our waffles (hey, you have to, right?), in a sidewalk cafe, when suddenly a parade of elderly French Foreign Legion soldiers came marching through. We were able to follow them and hear some great stories of battles in Algeria as they went on their annual barhopping jaunt through the city. You haven’t partied until you’ve partied with 85-year-old Legionnaires.

Dallas assistant John Sutton helped me out in Saudi Arabia, as we photographed in three different facilities there. I had been there a couple of years before and it was great to see old friends again. One of our friends there prepared a wonderful traditional meal of whole cooked fried fish, which we ate with our hands while sitting together on beautiful woven rugs. The last time we were there, we enjoyed “mandi”, a lamb cooked in a tandoor oven ground pit and served over rice. Both were fantastic. I’m not normally a super adventurous eater, but I’m getting better about embracing and sampling the local cuisine wherever we go. I felt honored that locals embraced us and were thoughtful enough to share their food and culture with us.

Saudi silhouette with incredible twilight color.

Oil and Gas photo shoots usually involve a lot of long days, getting up super early for sunrise, and staying until late evening for sunsets, and these fun mid-day diversions make the assignments really fun. By the way…..the light in Saudi was incredible – fantastic sunsets, and beautiful warm early light. One night, we were lucky enough to photograph a new facility under the light of the full moon, which provided a wonderful backlit glow to the shiny new steel plant.

When the annual reports were recently released recently, we ended up with several well designed two page spreads. Here are a few samples below.

First impressions with the 50 MP Canon EOS 5DS

Loose full-frame composition from a spin class shoot with the new 50MP Canon 5DS.

Tight crop from a spin class shoot with the new 50MP Canon 5DS. — Tight crop of the same frame from a spin class shoot with the new 50MP Canon 5DS.

With the help of a generous friend at Canon, I was really excited to spend a few days last week shooting with a pre-production model of the highly anticipated, brand new Canon EOS 5DS camera. The 5DS is Canon’s newest camera, with a whopping 50MP sensor (8688 x 5792 pixels). Many Canon shooters have been on waiting lists for several months to get one of these in their hands.

For commercial photographers, landscape photographers, and others who grew up shooting medium format film (and more recently, RENTING crazy expensive medium format digital systems), this camera is the one we’ve been waiting for, and based on my very preliminary testing, it’s a game changer on the order of the EOS 1DS Mk II.

My initial impression of this new technological development can be summed up with this classic front page from the Onion. (This is a family photo blog, so you follow the link at your own risk).

A little bit of camera history: though many of my photojournalist friends were VERY EARLY adopters of digital camera technology (anyone remember the lovely Kodak NC 2000?), most of my sports magazine shooter brethren arrived late to the digital party. Although early digital was “good enough” for newspapers and wire services, magazines still needed and demanded, high resolution images for magazine spreads and covers.

My Sporting News colleagues and I made the switch to the first EOS-1D (4.15 MP!) camera in the Fall of 2003 for most of our action photos. We clung to our medium format film cameras for portraits though, and we were still hanging Hasselblads up as remote cameras in NBA arenas as late as 2005. The original EOS-1DS (11.1 MP) was an improvement over the regular 1D, but it was slow, and still produced a file that was not up to medium format Velvia scanned on a fantastic Hell drum scanner.

The BIG game changer for me (and most of my colleagues) was the Canon EOS-1DS Mk II. I began using this camera in 2005, and it clocked in at a pretty impressive 16.7 MP (4992 x 3328 pixels). That’s roughly an 11 x 16.5 inch photo at 300 PPI. For reference – at that time, we were making 50 MP drum scans of our Hasselblad chromes. I remember shooting a test and looking at two files, side by side on the same monitor, one shot on film, and one out of the EOS-1DS Mk II, and my colleagues and I quickly decided that this camera was the one to finally allow us to become an all-digital publication.

It wasn’t just The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, and other magazines…..this camera changed things for just about every commercial photographer I knew. When this camera was released, the price of medium format gear dropped like the 1987 stock market crash. Waiting for Polaroids to develop became a completely unnecessary ancient photography ritual.

I went out on my own in 2006, and my EOS-1DS Mk II cameras were the cornerstone of my corporate and advertising photography business. Things quickly improved even more in 2007-8 when the EOS-1DS Mk III was announced. I sold my Mark II’s and upgraded to the new 21.1 MP chip (5616 x 3744 pixels).

I LOVED my DS bodies. I loved the professional grade finish, the weather sealing, the EOS-1 ergonomics and standardized controls, the robust build quality, and the 1/250 flash sync. When the 5D Mark II was released in 2008, I was impressed with the full HD video capabilities, but the actual still resolution was unchanged. I didn’t like the prosumer body form factor. I did not buy one.

Almost five years after the DS Mk III, Canon combined their EOS-1D lines (previously the high resolution, but slower DS and the lower resolution, but faster Mark IV) into one camera: the EOS-1DX. The 1DX is a fantastic camera: faster than hell autofocus, 12 FPS motor, great ergonomics, wonderful low light capability, and solid professional build quality….it’s awesome….BUT, wait a minute…..they went DOWN in resolution to 18.1 MP! (5184 x 3456px). A new 5D Mk III was also released, but with a disappointing 1MP upgrade over the previous 1DS Mk III. UGH! I eventually gave in and switched out my aging 1DS Mk III bodies for the extended dynamic range and higher ISO capabilities of the 5D3.

And there we’ve sat for the past 3 years. While Canon shooters were waiting, Nikon came out with the D800 (36 MP), and then the D810. Sony came out with their A7R (also 36 MP). I toyed with switching systems, but had a ton of money invested in Canon glass, and after testing the D800 with my Lightroom workflow, I decided that I actually preferred the color rendition of the Canon sensors better – particularly on skin tones. I also loved using the X bodies for faster moving objects, and since I use both types of cameras, I didn’t want to take another step backward in MP size since Nikon’s similar competitor to the 1DX was the D4 at an even lower 16 MP. (Again, different cameras are tools for different needs…if you are a photojournalist shooting in low light, the 1DX or D4 might be just the camera for your needs).

All of this said, please remember that pixel counting is mostly for photo gearheads. Your clients probably don’t notice a difference between photographs shot between 16, 18 or even 22 MP. It is nice, however, to have options, and the option to recompose and do a ridiculous crop from a wider frame is pretty useful at times.

There were a couple of times where an ad agency requested bigger, non-interpolated files, and we had to rent a Phase system. The quality can be absolutely amazing, but incorporating medium format into my average job workflow definitely requires a slower, more methodical way of working. Shutter lag was also an issue, and I had a really hard time timing shutter release delay on sports portrait images.

So after some frustration, I was excited when I began hearing rumors about Canon’s new high res baby. I was ecstatic when I finally got my hands on one in late May.

Loose full-frame composition from a tennis player shoot with the new 50MP Canon 5DS.

Tight crop from a tennis player shoot with the new 50MP Canon 5DS. — Tight crop of the same frame from a tennis player shoot with the new 50MP Canon 5DS.

This won’t be a scientific review, you’ll have to go to DP Review or another site for that, but I wanted to convey a few first impressions. First, if you are an EOS 5D Mk III user, this will be a seamless transition for you. Unlike virtually EVERY new camera I’ve ever purchased, the physical size of the 5DS is relatively unchanged, which means the battery grip from the Mk III is the same! It uses the same batteries and charger! That’s great news, as I can just use the same grips I already own, keep plenty of extra batteries around, and I don’t have to buy new Really Right Stuff tripod plates. In reality, I’m told there were some physical changes made to the body – Canon strengthened the area around the baseplate and tripod screw to make the camera more stable. I’m just glad they designed it to accept the same grip and batteries.

Inside the camera, the menus are very similar, but there are a few new features, including one where you can set a slight shutter delay after mirror lockup to dampen any mirror vibration before the actual shutter release. This is very useful if you’re locking down the camera and shooting long exposures on a tripod. Since I shoot a lot of industrial facilities stopped all the way down with 20-30 second exposures, this is something I will definitely try. (My solution, prior to this was, to hold my hand or a black card in front of the lens at the beginning of the exposure).

The flash sync is 1/160, which is very disappointing (why is 1/250 so difficult?)…..my solution to this is to use hypersync and high speed sync more and start incorporating that feature into my location work with my Profoto lighting gear.

A long overdue feature is the incorporation of a USB 3.0 port, which will be a huge help during tethered shooting. The Nikon D800/D810 have had this feature for some time.

Other than that, the 5DS and 5D Mk III are very similar, I went right to work with it without as much as reading the manual. I’ve warmed up somewhat to the 5D form factor with the grip (it still doesn’t feel quite as good as the 1DX), and I sometimes get irritated that critical buttons are in different locations than they are on the 1DX series cameras (like the button to light up the LCD display for example). For 50 MP at 3700 bucks, I’ll make that trade off gladly, but I will still hold out hope that the DX series continues in higher resolution form at some point.

It’s not exactly scientific to show you resolution testing results on a (decidedly low resolution) blog. However, I am here to tell you that this is a transformative development that we haven’t seen since that EOS-1DS Mk II. I purposely made some very loose compositions during my week with the camera, just to see what it would do, and the 200, 300, and even 400 % crops are just stunning. I’ve included some samples, but like I said, it’s hard to compare skin texture and noise from my 30” monitor to your mobile phone screen. To become a true believer, you’ll have to try it out for yourself.

This will not be my high-ISO camera, so I didn’t even test those features….everything I shot was between 50 and 250 ISO, most of it portraiture with studio strobe, and it is fantastic at those ISO’s. If I need to shoot low light, high ISO photos, I’ll use the 1DX.

Some people have asked, if Canon’s 35mm lens designs will still hold up at 50MP of resolution. Resolution that high will certainly magnify any design flaws in your glass. Again, these are first impressions, with a pre-production camera, but I feel like the results were good with my workhorse lenses: the 24-105/4L, and the latest version of the 70-200/2.8. I didn’t have time to test every lens in my bag. I know that Canon has been steadily redesigning most of the lenses in their arsenal over the last few years with higher resolution sensors in mind.

I had no issues with filling the buffer, but I was shooting the way I usually do….portrait subjects with strobe, so I was not motor-driving like a typical sports photographer. Again, there are different tools for different jobs, and if you want to motor drive all day, you’re better served getting a 1DX.

I don’t do a ton of video, and I didn’t really test the video capabilities of the 5DS, but with the new addition of the USB 3.0 port there is now no room on the camera for a headphone jack. Those of you who are full time video shooters will want to hang on to your 5D Mk III cameras for now.

Another big question: 5DS or 5DSR? There are two models of this camera available. The normal 5DS , just like every Canon digital camera we’ve discussed, has a built in anti-aliasing filter in front of the sensor. The R has a “self cancelling” optical low pass filter. This is the same thing Nikon did by releasing two versions of the D800. Anti-aliasing filters on the sensor inherently soften the image, but also prevent moiré patterns in things like football uniforms, herringbone suit fabrics, etc. If you shoot landscape images you might prefer the R version, as there is little chance of getting moiré patterns in that type of work. I was not able to test the two cameras against each other, so I reserve the right to change my mind, but I was pleased with the sharpness of the regular 5DS using my regular workflow, which adds a nominal amount of capture sharpening in Lightroom. I ordered the regular 5DS for now.

I’ve heard a fair amount of moaning on the internet about the “lack” of dynamic range in the 5DS. During my brief time with the camera, I had no issues, and at the risk of sounding like “HEY, you kids get off my lawn” – does anyone remember shooting Kodachrome? How much latitude did we have then, like maybe 1/3-1/2 stop? How about medium format Velvia? It was a little better, but still required critical exposure skills. There are times in the past where I’ve wished I had more range….like a portrait with a blown out sweaty forehead hotspot, or an aerial at sunset that would call for a split neutral density filter back in the old days. Honestly though, I’m pretty amazed at what we can do now with these sensors, and the amount of control I have in Lightroom with highlight/shadow sliders is nothing short of amazing.

I’m sure that the higher bit depth of a five figure medium format system results in higher dynamic range – there’s no doubt…but, keep in mind that this is a 3700.00 camera, versus a 20-50K camera, and it’s doing something amazing that’s never been done before at that price. Sometimes it’s like hearing someone comparing the relative shortcomings of Gisele Bundchen to Alessandra Ambrosio…..when they are both supermodels! Keep things in perspective folks.

I just got word as I’m typing this that my wait-listed camera is in a Fed-X box, on the way to the studio, so I’ll definitely be reading the manual and checking out and utilizing some of the new features, but for now, I’m just blown away by the increase in resolution. This camera is a game changer.

Loose full-frame composition of the Houston skyline with the new 50MP Canon 5DS.

Ridiculously tight crop of the Houston skyline with the new 50MP Canon 5DS. — Ridiculously tight crop of the same photograph of the Houston skyline with the new 50MP Canon 5DS.

Medical Healthcare photography project for Houston Methodist Hospital

Seale_Methodist_01-001 — Dr. Brian Butler, working with 4-D images in Plato’s CAVE facility at Houston Methodist Hospital.

We recently completed a big Healthcare photography project, completing principal photography for six annual reports for Houston Methodist Hospital. We spent about 10 days shooting in and around several of the hospital’s buildings in the Texas Medical Center.

Moving around a giant medical complex with our usual plethora of lighting gear was a challenge, especially with tight and ever changing physician’s schedules.

Seale_Methodist_01-002 — Dr. Lidong Qin with the “V-Chip” at the Houston Methodist Research Institute.

We even ran into a couple of situations where we couldn’t use our lighting gear at all. For example, we photographed a doctor and patient near an MRI machine, which meant that we couldn’t put any lighting equipment in the room for fear of damaging the imaging machines. (We were told that our cameras, tripods, and light stands would be sucked into the machine’s magnetic vortex during an actual scan!).

Fortunately, the machine’s lights were adjustable (somewhat) from outside the room and with a tripod in the doorway we were still able to get some good pictures. Another lighting challenge was shooting actual surgeries (we were able to photograph three of them, obviously with patient consent). We had to utilize the overhead surgical lights in the room, since you can’t exactly do flash photography while a surgeon is operating. Fortunately, halogen and LED surgical lights are bright , dramatic, and many doctors prefer to turn off the ugly fluorescents in the room, which creates dark backgrounds and makes everything very dramatic in photographs.

One of our “lighting tricks” in the hospital to match today’s flat screen LED monitors is to utilize (and of course hide) various LED sources in the room to make the subject look like they are only lit with only LED screen light. One of our main tools in this, believe it or not, is the 9.00 dollar Larrylight 8 LCD flashlights . We carry lots of these, and can stick them under and around computer screens to light things up when necessary. One of my favorite shots from the entire project was a shot of Dr. Butler in “Plato’s CAVE”, an area in the hospital with LCD projectors, and a giant interactive Ipad-like device in which doctors can combine imaging technologies into one interactive scan. We placed these small LED lights all around the room to light the scene.

Seale_Methodist_01-003 — Surgeons working in the operating room during a kidney transplant.

I always try to dress appropriately for the job. In sports, we often wear shorts and running shoes, for executives, we wear suits and ties, and in the oilfield, we wear Nomex coveralls, steel toes, and hard hats. To shoot surgeries in a hospital, I was able to fulfill my lifelong quest to wear scrubs to work! At the Scrubs Store, near the hospital, I learned that medical duds now come in all colors and patterns, and I narrowly resisted the urge to buy Sponge Bob scrubs and stuck to basic black, to keep with my photographer persona.

Once you spend a day in these, you realize why doctors and nurses wear them all the time, even when they aren’t in surgery.

Sometimes that comfort comes at a cost. While pulling the drawstring tightly closed on my pants one morning before an important surgical shoot, I managed to snap and break the string on the scrub bottoms. Did you ever have a pair of warm-ups in high school gym class, with the string trapped inside the warm-up waist band with no hope of ever fishing it out? Well, that’s what this was like. Oh yeah, this happened with three cameras around my neck about two minutes before I was slated to be inside a surgical suite. For those who don’t know, scrubs are big and baggy (I think these had a 72″ waist or something). Without a drawstring, my scrubs would be useless, sitting around my ankles, and well…..that wouldn’t be good. Fortunately for me, a quick thinking nurse dug around in her desk drawer and found some binder clips and helped me tighten the pants up to the point that I could move around and still work without flashing the surgical team.

Our patients often complain of insomnia and even if they do fall asleep, their dream is restless. We commonly advise them Xanax from https://xanaxtreatanxiety.com. It works well for such people. Sleeping well, they can perform better during the daytime, yet this drug is not for everyone as it has some contraindications.

That harrowing incident aside, the reports turned out to be beautiful. I consider it a real treat to work with very smart people, and the staff at Methodist are all first class, from the PR and Marketing staff, to the physicians and researchers themselves. The layouts were landscape format, with several full bleed photos of our best work. An added treat: one of the photos from our annual report shoot was selected to be in Methodist advertising. We’re hoping to do more medical and healthcare photography projects in and around the Texas Medical Center in Houston.

I can’t wait to don my scrubs again, and this time I’ll be more careful, ensuring that the only flashing going on is from my portable strobes.

Seale_Methodist_01-004 — Neurosurgeon Dr. Gavin Britz, removing a tumor from a patient’s brain.

Seale_Methodist_01-005 — Examples of the full-bleed horizontal layouts in the Houston Methodist Annual Reports.

What’s in my Bag? – Houston Commercial Photographer Robert Seale

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Our gear has changed over the last year. We will be updating this post soon with several new items…Current camera bodies are two Canon EOS 1 DX Mk II’s, and one Canon 5DS. The Pocketwizards have been replaced by Profoto remotes. More info coming soon…..)

Anyone remember the old American Photographer magazine? I’m talking pre-American PHOTO, when the magazine had great long form feature stories on photographers. One of my favorite features was the “What’s in your camera bag?” double truck. As a young high school photographer, I loved seeing what everyone was using, and I loved the quirky stuff and homemade gadgets that photographers carried. I still vividly remember the features on Roger Ressmeyer, the late Brian Lanker, Jodi Cobb, and a host of others. I also remember an old Amphoto book on advertising photographer Al Satterwhite, that had several pages in the back with pictures of the contents of his cases. I loved seeing the actual gear he worked with, and how organized and thoughtful he was about packing it.

**Funny sidebar: (One of the memories that sticks in my head from the old American Photographer was a story about famous nature photographer Art Wolfe. He was operating in super cold polar conditions, and was frustrated with his Canon F-1 with motor drive (it froze and stopped working), so he ripped the body off the lens, tossed it into the icy water, grabbed another body and kept on shooting. I was horrified! He just chunked a 1000 dollar camera into the water! Who would do that? Holy crap! I was shooting with a Canon AE-1 at the time, and an F-1 seemed like the most expensive object in the world. My second thought was, “Wow, Art Wolfe is so successful he can AFFORD to throw away a thousand dollar camera!”)

Recently, I’ve noticed the genre has been resurrected in the form of photographer blog posts, and I still love seeing these articles and photos of “gear porn”. (Actually, my stuff is not so exotic these days….if Laforet is putting out gear-porn, mine probably barely qualifies as gear-Cinemax….).

I do lots of different types of assignments, from sports portraits for Sports Illustrated, to corporate annual reports for oil companies, CEO portraits for business magazines and companies, to advertising campaigns for hospitals, and we pack specific gear each time depending on the nature of the job. There are times where you might need a 600mm/F4, or a medium format digital system, or a ton of Profoto lighting. Most of the time though, this primary camera kit stays close to this setup shown below. So here it is, the gear I typically travel with and some commentary on why I use what I use.

(CASE #1) Think Tank Airport International 2.0 – This is a great, slightly smaller version of the usual Think Tank rolling case. It has never failed me on numerous different international flights. The full size TT roller is large enough to raise some eyebrows at the sizing box, but this one always gets through. I’ve even had pretty good luck with it on some commuter airlines too. In fact, I like the bag so much I bought two of them! I’ve always held that you shouldn’t ship everything you own on any flight, and that you should carry on at least enough gear to get started on the job and make some sort of picture. We’ll start with the contents of my primary kit:

Camera bodies:

Two EOS 5D Mk 3’s, and one Canon EOS 1DX. I used to carry two EOS1DS Mk III’s and a 1DX, but I’ve replaced both of the S bodies over the last year or so with the newest version of the 5D. I’ll be real honest. I have a love/hate thing going here: I love the quality of the files, and the increased dynamic range and high ISO capability of the 5D3 vs. my old DS Mk3 bodies…..BUT, ergonomically speaking, I MISS having a big, durable, real, weather sealed, substantial professional body in my hand. I hate having to carry two chargers. I also can’t for the life of me figure out why Canon moves critical buttons to different locations on these two bodies. For instance the button to light up the LCD display is on the far right on one, and the inside far left on the other. Madness! In addition to the form factor change, I really miss the 1/250 flash sync of my old professional bodies. I have grips on both of my 5D’s but it’s just not the same.

I love the EOS1DX. It may be one of the best cameras I’ve ever laid my hands on. The autofocus is awesome, low light sensitivity is incredible, and I love the fact that it is just perfect for me ergonomically. I’m not happy about the 18MP file size though, which I consider to be a slight step backwards (My Ds bodies were 21-something). I’m also really disappointed that Canon only bumped the 5D3 roughly 1MP. After waiting 4 years, I really expected to have something with a file size in the 26-36MP range. If the 1DX had a file size around 22MP (similar to the 5D), then I would use these exclusively. I don’t necessarily need 12 FPS, but it’s nice. I could live with 6 FPS and a bigger file. My dream camera is something in a big well made, durable professional body form factor (like the 1DX) with a file size in the 30-40MP range, with 1/250 sync, and USB 3 connectivity….and it better get here soon!!!

**(Note about cameras – “It’s a black box with a hole in it!” That was the standard quote from my colleague Dave Einsel every time someone starts the age old Canon vs. Nikon argument. I’ve used both Nikon and Canon over the years and enjoyed using both. I have good friends who are reps for both companies. I started with Canon FD manual focus gear, switched to Nikon F4’s due to the fantastic capabilities of the SB-24 speedlight, and then back to Canon EOS stuff (autofocus!), and then back to the F5 (autofocus!), and have been shooting Canon since the 1V came out (2001 or 2002?). I was a staff photographer for many years, so usually the switch was not my choice, and due to a change in what my newspaper/magazine was using for their company gear. I started my own business in 2006, and have stuck with Canon since then, but I’ll be honest, I came REALLY close to switching when the D800 came out. Both companies make wonderful cameras and lenses, and leapfrog each other every couple of years with new technology and capabilities. It really comes down to personal preference and what you can afford at the time you’re buying. Remember that while new cameras are cool……your gear is a tool, and although it’s there to help you solve problems easier, most of those problems really need to be solved in that most important piece of gear – your brain.)

Lenses:

Canon EF 24-105/4L – I actually have three of these. (Must have backups for your backups right?) It’s not a super expensive or exotic lens, and as silly as it sounds, it is my favorite Canon lens (and one of the reasons I’ve stayed with Canon despite the back and forth tech jumps with their rival Nikon). When I shot portraits with a Hasselblad (pre-2005), I carried around 40, 50, 80, 120, and 150mm lenses. With the conversion to 35mm, the 24-105 pretty much sums up that entire range. When you’re shooting celebrities, CEO’s, or famous athletes, any lens change or delay in the shoot to fumble around changing lenses could mean your subject ending it right there and walking away. With a 24-105 and a big CF card, I can keep the camera to my face and keep shooting without changing a lens. The IS comes in handy at times too. Remember that it distorts quite a bit between 24 and 50, so it helps to use the lens profile correction in Lightroom with this one.

Canon EF 16-35/2.8L II – This lens is much improved over the first version.

Canon EF 70-200/2.8L II – Tack, tack sharp, but with IS it is rather heavy. I have an F4 version that I sometimes use in this slot.

Canon EF 24-70/2.8 II – This one is super tack sharp, and sometimes you need the wider 2.8 aperture. No IS like the 24-105/4L.

Canon 100/2.8L macro – One of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever used. This slot in my case rotates depending on the assignment. Sometimes I’ll swap the 100 for an 8-15, or a tilt shift.

Canon 1.4x III teleconverter – Sometimes necessary on the 70-200 if I don’t have longer lenses handy.

2 Pocketwizard Multimax wireless units – I have a bunch of these spread around various cases. I still carry a couple in the main case just in case we need to do something strange that the new Plus III’s won’t do.

2 Pocketwizard Plus III – For triggering from the camera hotshoe, I like to use these.

2 Canon 580 EX II speedlights – I rarely use these, but still carry them around. I know I can rig something up and still make a picture if my lighting gear gets lost on the plane, and there are situations where we hide them in the set to light a certain area. My wife has the cool new Canon 600 speedlights, but I haven’t upgraded mine yet. If you’re buying new ones get the new 600 EX.

LPA Pocketwizard Cords for Profoto and the 580 speedlights. – these are in my lighting cases also, but I keep backups in case they get lost or we rent packs and they forget to include them.

** Funny story sidebar: (Early on in my career, I was at NHL hockey star Joe Sakic’s house, in a little beachy area between Vancouver and Seattle – far from any civilization or camera stores. I set up my lights in his back yard, and to my horror, I realized I had somehow misplaced my sync cords. It was high noon, and available light was not a great option. Sakic’s wife got me their yellow pages (remember phone books?), and I called a local wedding photographer, who bailed me out by loaning me a cord. Sakic was patient and cool. (Hockey guys really are the best). I was incredibly embarrassed, but I consider it one of the greatest lessons I ever had. Always, always, always, pack redundantly. Have backups spread around in different cases. Things break, and you should always cover your ass in case something doesn’t arrive. If you are shipping gear, don’t put all your softboxes, or heads, or stands in the same case. You never know when one will turn up broken or missing.)

Extra glasses – I have an extra set of glasses here, and in my briefcase. These may be the most important lenses in my bag, as I’m blind as a bat without them.

Wiha technical screwdrivers – I have these scattered in various cases and bags. They are handy to tighten lens mounts after a rough helicopter ride.

X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Color balance calibration target

Really Right stuff quick release plates – I use these on my cameras and my 70-200 to mount them on an Arca Swiss ballhead. They are expensive, but wonderfully machined pieces that make your life so much easier.

Kinesis CF Card Wallet – This large card wallet folds flat and holds 12 CF cards. I’ve used these for many years, and I actually like the size (though my assistants probably don’t). My theory is the small ThinkTank card wallets are wonderful, but so small that they can easily be misplaced, left on set, disappear in a jacket pocket, etc. This big thing from Kinesis is large enough to notice when it’s missing. I might walk into a restaurant and leave gear in the car, but hard drives and cards are always with us. ALWAYS! You can replace gear easily with insurance, but you cannot replace the photos you just took.

SanDisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash card 32GB 160MB/s – I’ve replaced most of my cards with these, although I still have a few older 16 GB versions. I rotate cards and buy 2-4 new ones every 6-8 months or so.

Inova X2 Flashlight – I usually have at least one of these in my bag – sometimes more. I love flashlights and experimenting with different LED sources. Sometimes we light paint with these on long exposures, and they are always handy for packing up in the dark.

Petzl Zipka 2 headlamp – I have a bunch of these in various bags. They have a retractable cord on them that fits around your head or wrist. Very handy.

Extra lens/body caps – these get lost, so I try to have extras with us.

Revlon makeup compact mirror. – These are handy for helping subjects fix their hair/makeup, etc on set.

Lens cleaning cloth – My favorites are these large ones that Jody Grober gave me from Robert’s Distributors.

Domke wraps – I use these to wrap around the bodies to protect them in the case. I’ve always done this, and it keeps the LCD’s nice and pristine. I use black ones on the 5D’s and a red one on the 1DX so we can differentiate the bodies quickly….and because I’m a freak.

Nikon AN4B camera strap – I’m super weird and picky about camera straps. I LOATHE big obnoxious straps with giant lettering that come with the camera bodies these days. The AN4B is a simple thin black nylon strap, and I’ve used these for years. I don’t know what I’ll ever do if they quit making them. I use a similar strap from Canon on the 1DX body, mostly so I can quickly tell the cameras apart if I’m in a rush. It’s called a Canon L3 camera strap. They are gray/black, and just say Canon on them….very low key and thin. This is the same camera strap that originally shipped with the EOS1-V. From time to time, B&H still gets them in stock.

The RED FOLDER – Guys who’ve worked with me know what this is for. I keep model releases, property releases, etc. in a big red folder in the outside pocket of the roller bag. The idea is the same as the big Kinesis CF wallet. If it is big and red, it’s hard to miss. These are critical to doing a professional job, and with few exceptions, we get one from every person we shoot.

Customs forms (CBP 4455) – for foreign travel, I register all my gear at a US Customs office, have it inspected and signed. A Carnet is better, but more time consuming to get and to use. Having the gear registered in the US at least proves that you left with it, and are returning back to the US with the same stuff. It won’t help you with a customs guy in Canada, but the US agents will be ok with it. So far, this has worked well for me.

** Funny sidebar: (A few years ago, my buddy Chris Covatta, working for Upper Deck at the time, was traveling into Canada to shoot the Vancouver Grizzlies (remember them? That went well, huh?). The Canadian border agents see his plethora of camera gear, and detain him. He was delayed for a while, and the conversation went something like this. “So, you got a lot a camera stuff there, eh? Isn’t there a Canadian who could do your job?” Covatta came very close to saying: ““Hell no!” For a Canadian to shoot a sport, it must involve toothless bastards with sticks and little rubber object that hurts like hell when it hits you. They don’t have a clue about hoops!” (ed. note: These were Covatta’s words, not mine….I happen to like Canada.) But he held off, paid a fee and was allowed in after someone with the team vouched for him. I’ve been reminded of this several times during my own travels there. Canada may be the most difficult border to cross – much worse than China or Saudi Arabia in my experience.

(CASE #2) – ThinkTank Airport International 2.0 (Part Deux!)

This roller has some auxiliary stuff that I don’t necessarily use on every trip. For instance, if I was shooting a simple business portrait across town, I probably wouldn’t take this with me. However, for international travel, or big corporate photography assignments on the road, this case usually goes with us. I have a different packing philosophy here. Instead of the normal dividers, I pack everything in small bags or sometimes a backpack, so we’ve got bags to work out of when we arrive.

Canon EF 300/2.8L IS – I used to use lots of big glass when I shot more sports action, but these days I’ve pared down the 400’s and 600’s to just a simple 300/2.8, and honestly, it rarely gets used. It does come in handy when you need it, and I often use a 1.4 converter on it. I might replace this one day with the Canon EF 200-400/4, but good grief, 12K for a lens I rarely use seems like a lot of money.

Funny, (yet informative) sidebar: Current prices on long lenses….a Canon EF 600/4 is now 12,999.00. A 400/2.8 is now 11,500.00. A 300/2.8 is now 7,299.00. Quick math question….how many games do you need to shoot at 125.00 per game to pay for your big lens? I’m not endorsing this rate – some publications pay better , but even major sports publications are still paying the same rates they paid in the 1980’s, when cameras and lenses were much cheaper than they are now. The salad days of card companies and other corporate clients shelling out 1-2K rates for sports action/game coverage are gone for the most part. Most do not pay anywhere near what it would take to buy crazy exotic sports photographer gear and remain profitable. Now, let’s do the math based on a 400/2.8.

400/2.8 = 11500.00…at 125.00 per game (what some “so-called wire services” are paying, believe it or not). – that’s 92 games!…..just to buy ONE lens, not allowing anything for the multiple digital cameras, other lenses, laptop, cards, and PROFIT you should be making.

Canon TS-E 24/3.5L II Tilt shift – The new version of the Canon 24 tilt shift. Absolutely an incredible, sharp, sharp, sharp lens. I rarely use it, but it does come in handy for perspective control in tight spaces.

Canon EF 8-15/4L Fisheye – I replaced my fixed 15 fisheye with this one a couple of years ago. Again rarely used – but there’s really no substitute when you need it.

Canon 24-105/4L – A backup of the other go-to lens in Case #1.

Canon EF 50/2.8 Macro

Chargers for cameras – It pisses me off that i must carry two different types of chargers. The 5D grip should have been designed to take 1DX type batteries. Ugh.

Backup CF cards – I rotate the older cards to a ThinkTank card wallet, and keep them in another case, so we can continue working if the Kinesis wallet (God forbid!) were to get lost. Backups!

More Wiha screwdrivers

More Petzl Zipka headlamps

Larrylight 8 LCD flashlights – these little nine dollar lights have a clip and magnet, and are fantastic for hiding in a set and mimicking computer screen light.

Funny sidebar: We spent a day in a hospital once, hauling around a Rock and Roller cart full of lighting gear, and then used Larry Lights on every single picture. I’m not sure my client knew what to think…..probably that I was a weirdo.

ThinkTank Speed Demon waist pack and Speed Changer side pouches – These give the assistant a way to carry extra stuff once we’re on location.

**Funny sidebar: (The ThinkTank waist bag you see here is probably a collector’s item. It has a Canon CPS logo on it and was given out to all the Super Bowl photographers at the 2005 Super Bowl in Jacksonville. My friends and Think Tank founders Deanne Fitzmaurice, Kurt Rogers, and Doug Murdoch arranged for the generous swag and I’ve been using it ever since – and I’ve bought a TON of their other bags. The party was notable, not only for the cool gift and weird menu (we had alligator as I recall), but for the fact that my wife and I got to sit and dine with the legendary Neil Leifer. Later that same year, Neil shared a photo position with my wife and a couple of other photographers at the World Series in Houston, and sent her a signed print as a thank you for making room for him in the crowded space. Neil is a class act.)

Sharpies – I still carry these, despite the fact that i no longer write on film canisters.

Gaffer Tape – I’m picky about this too (Imagine that). I prefer the small core, Permacel 2-ply tape. It is superior to the big rolls of thin crap you find in most camera stores. Sorry, but there’s no Amazon link for the good stuff. Call Jody at Robert’s Distributors and tell him I sent you. 😉

Electronic cable release – I carry ones with a button, and another one with a Pocketwizard compatible miniphone jack

Filters – I didn’t put them in the pictures, but I own filters (Heliopan thin filters) for pretty much all the lenses. I hate using them, but I put them on if I know I’m going to a dusty or saltwater environment. I remember a quote from some bigshot photographer years ago who said something like – …”why would you put a 20 dollar piece of glass in front of a 2000 dollar piece of glass?” I buy nice filters, and they certainly aren’t 20 bucks, but that quote has always lingered in my mind.

Sensor cleaning kit – Sensor Swabs, cleaning fluid, and Arctic Butterfly gadget. Note: The pre-moistened, pre-packaged swabs are absolute crap. Horrible. don’t even try it. Buy the dry ones and use the cleaning fluid. Be careful though – did you know the TSA thinks the cleaning fluid is a hazardous substance? No kidding. I tried to FedX some once, but had to buy it locally.

**Funny sidebar: (Does anyone else think “Arctic Butterfly” sounds like a sex toy rather than a piece of camera gear?

Me, (in airport security check line): “So, it’s a little wand with a light brush on the end, that has a little battery powered motor that spins, and it’s for cleaning your camera sensor, and….”

TSA agent: “Yeah……sure, buddy, suuuuuuuure it is…….whatever you say…….”)

Annual Report Cover Photography for ExxonMobil

The cover of the ExxonMobil Annual Report, taken in Qatar by Houston photographer Robert Seale.

When I was growing up, my best friend was an overachiever who at age 9, was the Rupert Murdoch of the lawn mowing business in our home town. His empire stretched far and wide, and he spent his days in the summer and after school riding his hefty John Deere riding mower (which he bought with his own funds) around town.

My friend was a year older than me, but I often helped him with trimming, weed-eating, etc, and before long, I had talked my dad into letting me take his beloved John Deere riding mower, (which he was very protective of), into the neighborhood in search of elderly ladies who needed regular yard work.

Well the money started rolling in, you know….HUGE sums like 10, 15, even 20 dollars a week! I promptly blew through everything like a 10-year-old rapper with a new record contract, only my vice of choice was video games and candy – not hookers and Bentleys. I loved banana Laffy Taffy, and I think I single-handedly kept that confectionary company afloat during the early 1980’s.

My mother, who ran banks for most of her career, saw this silliness and decided that I needed a lesson in financial responsibility. She promptly set me up with a checking account, and taught me how to balance and reconcile a bank statement. I was to use the account when I needed money, like for lawn mower gas or oil – her reasoning was that if I had to stop and write a check that perhaps I might think twice about my impulsive spending habits. She also made me set aside 150 dollars, which seemed like all the money in the world at the time (and to me, it certainly was…), and buy shares of Exxon stock with my little nest egg.

Well, I was pissed. Do you know how good I could have become at Galaga or Defender with 150 dollars in quarters?

One of the interesting things about being a shareholder, even with a mere 5 shares at the time, was that I would receive mailings and publications from the company. We used to get Exxon’s quarterly magazine (called “The Lamp”), and a big hefty magazine full of interesting color pictures once a year….which, logically, was called the Annual Report. It was impressive, and the photographs were interesting – lots of brightly lit refineries at night, colorful chemistry labs, and portraits of rig workers in the North Sea.

Some companies do different versions of these. The Summary Annual Report is exactly what it says, a condensed version, usually with a cover and a few pictures inside. The larger, full-blown version of the Annual Report is called the F&O, for Financial and Operating Review, and features many more pages of photos. Although the 1980’s heyday of the over the top, multi-page annual reports has passed, and some companies just file their reports electronically as website pdf’s, some companies still produce great printed publications for their shareholders.

Later, when I was in college studying commercial photography, I really admired the guys who did corporate photography for these big companies….Exxon, Coca-cola, IBM, etc. I always thought one of the coolest challenges was to make big heavy industrial facilities look sexy. After all, anyone can make a bikini model or a pro athlete look great…but how are you with the inside production line in a paper mill? Can you light it or compose it in an interesting way to make a cool frame out of it? My parents didn’t understand how someone would make a living in photography, particularly in photojournalism, but when I pointed out the cool photography in these annual reports I think they realized that commercial photography could be a viable career.

Fast forward a few years, and after being “sidetracked” with a full time job that I loved at a sports magazine, I began to finally use some of those skills learned in college doing industrial photography for various oil and gas companies around Texas. One of my goals was to shoot for ExxonMobil, the largest oil and gas company in the world, and eventually they became a client.

Although I’ve now worked for them for several years, and had several covers of The Lamp, and lots of published pictures big and small in various pubs, I am particularly proud to have made the cover of the BIG annual report (or F&O) for the company this year. The cover photo is an aerial photograph taken from a helicopter in Qatar, of a huge Q-Max LNG tanker leaving the port at sunset. It took quite a bit of logistical planning, support and effort to make, and I’m particularly proud of it. It really is ironic and odd that I’m now shooting for the first corporate annual report publication I ever laid eyes on, as a 10-year-old.

Also amazing is that this particular frame was shot during our last pass around the harbor, handheld, wide open, on a Canon EOS-1DX at 2000 ISO during the last little flicker of available light. A shot like this would have been impossible 4-5 years ago. High ISO camera sensor technology has come a long way.

Anyway, I’ve finally created a new tearsheets gallery on my main portfolio website to share some of this work in printed form. There are various examples of my photography in print for a variety of clients, from oil and gas companies, aviation portraits, to Sports Illustrated covers. Check it out, it really is an eclectic mix.

Now if I can just figure out how to get John Deere as a client. Hmmmm….

The new tearsheets section of the Robert Seale Photography portfolio site.

Houston Commercial Photographer Robert Seale featured in ASMP advertising

I’m honored to have a testimonial quote and one of my sports portraits featured in the ad for ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) in the June 2014 issue of PDN (Photo District News). This is the big 2014 Photo Annual issue, (which I should probably enter next year!), but nevertheless it’s cool to be in the issue, albeit in a bit of a loophole sort of way through the ASMP ad! Hey, whatever works. 😉

Nevertheless, I’m proud to be featured by our main professional photography organization, ASMP, and I would encourage anyone interested in commercial photography, whether corporate, advertising, or even magazine editorial photography, to definitely join the organization. ASMP provides a number of member benefits, member discounts on insurance and equipment, lobbying on issues affecting commercial photographers (copyright and photographer’s rights), and a number of educational programs and resources to help you with your photography business.

Here's a tighter crop of the June 2014 ASMP ad in PDN. — Here’s a tighter crop of the June 2014 ASMP ad in PDN.

Upcoming Photoshelter Webinar: 11 Essential Tips for Freelance Photographers with Robert Seale

Robert Seale, established corporate, advertising and editorial photographer based out of Houston, Texas knows a thing or two about starting a freelance photography business. After 11 years as a staff shooter for Sporting News and additional years of experience shooting for various newspapers, Robert decided to take the plunge and go freelance. Today you’ll find him working with clients such as Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health, ESPN, Rolling Stone, along with Fortune 500 companies, and more.

Throughout his freelance career, Robert has kept his business successfully afloat by building upon a solid foundation. In this live video webinar via Google Hangout, Robert will cover the 11 key tips photographers should know to run their business smoothly and grow it over time. Whether you’re considering going full-time freelance, or have been doing it for years – Robert will offer up essential tips and lessons learned in an in-depth dialogue with host Allen Murabayshi about what it’s really like to be a photographer and small business owner.

In this webinar you’ll learn:

The steps you must take before going freelance
Money issues: how to balance your budget, and keep on track
How to build out a marketing plan
What gear to invest in and how to know when to rent vs. buy
The number 1 thing you need to do for your business

Join us Friday, June 6th at 4pmET for this live video webinar Google Hangout – sign up to receive the link to tune in.