A lot can happen in a decade. Ten years ago, Vincent Laforet and the Canon 5D Mark II had just sparked the DSLR video revolution in earnest. The D3s had just been publicly announced as the newest Nikon flagship model. The DJI Phantom 1 drone was still 4 years away and Sports Illustrated was still a weekly magazine...
Ten years later many UPAA members have gone from still photography-only to multimedia jugglers. Every new DSLR does 4K this and 120P that...Drones are everywhere...
Photo by Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University
The Board wants to remind everyone of announcements and decisions made at the 2019 Symposium. Member input is very important to the board and we use your ideas to help make decisions for the organization. The initiatives listed below come from your input. Please email ideas to Mark Carriveau prior to October 15 for inclusion in our agenda at the Midyear Meeting on November 1st.
Board and Business Meeting Summary of Decisions
Text and photos by Sanjay Suchak
Sanjay Suchack is University Photographer at the University of Virginia. He had a once-in-a-career opportunity to cover the implosion of Virginia's former basketball arena, University Hall, commonly known as U-Hall.
When I first arrived on Grounds (we call our campus Grounds) I couldn’t help but notice this large and looming structure. It was so out of place at a university where white columns are de rigueur. It looked like a clam or a spaceship, its white paint on the rubberized concrete roof peeling, the mid-century architecture so out of place.
(Photos by Nate Edwards) Nate Edwards is Photography Manager at BYU Photo. Nate’s photo “Steeplechase at 1/40th” was voted Best In Show in the June 2019 Monthly Image Competition. It was his third Best in Show winner of 2018-19.
Quick tech stuff—camera model, focal length, exposure data, lighting used (if any):
•Camera: Canon 1DX II
•Lens: Canon 70-200 f/2.8 II (shot at 170mm)
•Aperture: f/5
•Shutter: 1/40
•ISO 640
Text by Shannah Montgomery, University of Georgia.
I’ll never look at a rusty oil barrel the same after this week.
(Photos by Matt Cashore) Matt Cashore is senior university photographer at Notre Dame. Matt’s photo “Mosquito Buffet” was voted Best In Show in the May 2019 Monthly Image Competition.
Quick tech stuff—camera model, focal length, exposure data, lighting used (if any):
•Nikon Z6
•Nikkor 105 2.8 AIS manual focus lens on a FTZ adapter (coincidentally the same lens used for the March 2018 MIC Best in Show)
(text and photos by Matt Cashore) Matt Cashore is senior university photographer at Notre Dame and the editor of the UPAA blog and magazine.
I first tried a Sony mirrorless camera (A7rII) at the 2017 Symposium. My impression in one word: Confusing: “Wha...? Why did the viewfinder shut off?” “What in the world does this menu setting mean??” “Is the in-body stabilization on or off??” It wasn't the camera's fault, it was my unfamiliarity with mirrorless in general. Too much new stuff at once. New menus, new buttons, new terms...EVF? IBIS? WYSIWYG? Oh my!
2009's Nikon D300s next to 2019's Nikon Z6
As the academic year ends, so too does the budget year for many UPAA members. Hopefully that means acquiring some new gear or at least replacing well-used gear with newer gear and the benefits of newer tech.
(photo by Jaren Wilkey) Text by Jaren Wilkey, manager of BYU's photo office
One of our favorite lighting styles is butterfly lighting, where the key light is front and center above the subject. We use it quite often, especially when we are photographing dancers and athletes. Due to the fact that most of our assignments are on location we always have the challenge of safely shooting butterfly lighting on set.
By Jeff Fitlow, Rice University
About a month ago one of our science writers came to me and asked if I would be interested in helping get a shot that could potentially go on the cover of Science, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I immediately said, “yes.” Science is one of the world’s top academic journals and has been around since 1880. Landing the cover of such a prestigious publication would be an honor.
(photo illustration by Taylor Slifko, APSU, text by Taylor Slifko and Beth Lowary, all photos by Taylor Slifko except where noted)
Dinners, receptions, grip and grins, oh my!
How does a small team, and in most cases one person, juggle the needs of an entire university and still have time for their own projects? The answer is defining priorities and setting a precedent within your university (and lots of coffee).
Making the Priority Guide
(photo by Kristen Grace) Kristen Grace is Photographer/Digital Asset Manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Her photo "Hundreds of thousands of monarch butterflies" was voted 'Best in Show' in the March 2019 Monthly Image Competition.
Quick tech stuff—camera model, focal length, exposure data, lighting used (if any):
Camera: Nikon Z6
Lens: Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S
ISO: 640
Aperture: 9
Shutter: 1/400
Lighting: Sunlight
(photo by Dani Machlis)
It’s a quiet day at the office. You’re catching up on archiving…maybe judging the MIC…Or chuckling at the latest comedy gem at the end of a UPAA blog article…
When suddenly your phone buzzes and it’s the boss’ boss’ boss’ boss: “Hey, get to the president’s office 5 minutes ago, the governor just dropped in for a visit and we want a photo.”
You throw on a jacket and grab the bag you always have at the ready for calls like these.
What’s in it?
(Photos by Gregory Urquiaga) Gregory Urquiaga is a staff photographer at the University of California, Davis. His photo “Officer Arrives to Memorial” was voted best in show in the February 2019 Monthly Image Competition.
Quick tech stuff—camera model, focal length, exposure data, lighting used (if any):
Nikon D3
16-35mm, 1/320 f6.3 ISO 640