The YouTube Journey has begun. I started creating and posting videos just over two weeks ago. And so far I'm having a lot of fun doing it. I did an interview with my Dad Byron Lee about his history owning the shop, (Lee Photo) and had him describe and demonstrate
using his favorite camera of all time. the Hasselblad SWC.
Vintage camera equipment....
I grew up in a camera store, I lived, breathed and ate camera equipment from the age of 6 (my age when I received my first film camera.) And from the age of 9 I worked alongside my Dad in Lee Photo up to 2011, when I had to close the shop. But by passion for photography and camera gear hasn't diminished in the slightest.
Starting in January I'm going to begin doing a YouTube "series" highlighting the camera collection of Lee Photo which spans 3 generations. It will be a long process. So I'm going to take it a step of a time. I hope to include a few interviews of my Dad as well to highlight his favorite equipment.
So if you aren't already a subscriber to my channel please sign up @jbleephoto and help me move forward in this project and make it great.
Thanks in advance for your support.
]]>I grew up shooting film and it's nice to see that once again people are taking a look at how to use and shoot film cameras.
Because not only did I work as a professional photographer, but also owned a camera store I had the chance to shoot will "almost" every camera ever made I acquired a lot of knowledge about all different types of film cameras, how they work and what all the buttons and knobs did. But out of all the camera's I ever used, I have a favorite... The Hasselblad, I used this in studio, and at weddings so I could get stunning results due to the large 2 1/4 inch negative.
So this last weekend I dusted off the "ol" Hassy loaded up two 120 backs with Kodak Portra 400 and took the camera and 2 lenses out to take photos of my Daughter and her friends along side my Sony A7R III to take pictures of them before their Senior Ball. Next thing I know it was like I traveled back in time after I heard the first click, flapp, kuchunk.... of the distinctive Hasselblad shutter release, and following film crank rotation. As soon as some of subjects heard the loud sound my camera made the question came up. What was that noise?
Gear List:
- Hasselblad
- Zeiss 150mm f4
- Zeiss 60mm f3.5
- 2-120 format film backs
- Gossen
- Gitzo GT3530
This time will be different. I've got my 2 Sony mirrorless cameras and a pair of Zeiss lenses and the Sony 70-200 f4 polished up and ready to go. And as my video kit my Samsung S9+, DJI gimbal and a full case of moment lenses and a RODE mic.
As soon as we told the girls what we were doing this Summer they squealed with joy and have already created their packing lists.
Look out Canada... here we come.
]]>So I began to look into what photo options that I can afford (Being a Middle School Library Clerk pays just under nothing)
I found a case for my 9+ made by Moment https://www.shopmoment.com/
The cool thing is you can purchase a useful variety of lenses for a reasonable cost and give your phone added options. Moment also has a photo app that is just as useful with good manual controls.
Next month I'll purchase the 58mm (tele) lens and see if this could be a good option while I save up my dimes for a Sony A7r III
In the meantime Keep pressing the shutter button.
]]>Jason Byron Lee
]]>For a very limited time I'm selling a 12x18 signed and numbered poster series of some of my favorite images. I will only be printing 25 12x18 posters of each image in this series to be released one at a time during various time of the year. To stay tuned follow my blog for future releases.
*poster will not have the watermark logo on the image.
This studio kit is an extremely complete kit and can cover any event or photoshoot.
Tamrac case
Elienchrome Scanlite 1000 watt hot light with adapter for 5 Foot octobox
2 Elienchrome Varistar Umbrellas
2 Avenger A0025B lightstands
5 Foot Photoflex Octodome Softbox
2 Alienbees B400 studio flash units
1 Cybercommander wireless flash controller with 2 receivers
51 inch PLM round softbox with spill kill rear panel and mounting bracket
22 inch Beautydish with diffusion sock and mini boom arm
Polaris Ambient / flash / spot meter
Natural light reflector kit including 4 different reflectors and 2 diffusion panels with Photoflex carrying case.
Retail value of this kit is 3,000.
I'm selling it for 1,750. FIRM
Give me a call if you're interested.
530-368-7763
I'm also selling some individual studio items as well.
Background stand <SOLD>
2 Impact 42" umbrellas <SOLD>
Savage posing table 20.00
Botero blue mist background 5'x6' 20.00
Chroma key Green / Blue reversible background 6'x7' <SOLD>
Lastolite Drk Grey/Lite Gray reversible background 6'x7' 85.00
Off the Wall set designs Textured brick panel (can be used as background or floor) (orig $2,500) selling for 250.
Black cloth background 30.00
Manfrotto tripod 658B with 322RC2 Rapid head & 2 extra mounting plates (orig $700) selling for 350.
Black folding print stand solid oak 40.00
]]>
Tech/Adult Center, Computer Lab
13055 Bill Francis Drive, Auburn
10/27/16 Thursday 2:00pm - 5:00pm $29.00
(To attend the class you MUST sign up in advance with Placer School for Adults (530)885.8585 or www.placeronline.org)
]]>
One of the features that attracted me to the Sony mirrorless digital cameras was the ability to use different lenses. Not only could I use some of my Canon EF lenses but in my camera collection I could drag out the older Olympus, Pentax, and even Carl Zeiss from my Contax camera system and give them new life and extend my creative options.
For my older Contax lenses I purchased the Metabones CY-E mount adapter. My reason I went with the more expensive adapter for the Zeiss lenses is because the value and quality of the optic. I wanted to make sure that quality was "passed down" to the Sony. And I wasn't disappointed the tight fit and ability to focus smoothly wasn't affected in the least.
K&F concept adapters I purchased for both my Pentax and Olympus OM lenses. And found them to be every bit as good as the Metabones adapters with all metal construction and a solid feel. The lenses also focus all the way to Infinity like the Metabones. So in both cases these adapters are a great way to bring the older film lenses into the digital age and give them value in imaging again.
]]>
Jason Lee
]]>
Almost every year for New Years we head off to Monterey CA. for some great ocean-side hiking and great food to start the new year off right. We began the trip with a trip to the local shops to spend some of our Christmas money, and I was sorely temped in adding another camera to my bag at Greens Camera. We then ended our day with dinner and a movie. With a great quick dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and the new Star Wars movie it was a great way to end the day. On new years eve we went on an all day walk (7 hours) from our hotel room to the little town of Pacific Grove where we wander through the shops and try new little coffee shops and the great views along the way. And then went to Vito's (Best Italian Restaurant ever!) for our traditional New Year's Eve feast.
New Years day was the best of them all, we went for another all day hike at Point Lobos, and I couldn't believe after over 16 years of going to Monterey we had never gone to this jewel of a state park. I took more photos than I could have imagined. Dramatic scenery and clouds were all around me and I was seeing great potential images all around me. I have polished many of them but I have a ton more to go through and edit.
It was a incredible trip and I can't wait to get back to Point Lobos for another photo/hiking excursion. If you would like to view/purchase some of the images from my trip view some of them here at http://jasonlee.zenfolio.com/jasonleefineart
]]>And wow am I impressed. I've been using the Slide camera strap, and the Capture Pro clip for a short time now but they have already made my "must have" camera gear list. I've always been annoyed by camera straps but was unwilling to do without because of the risk of dropping my camera. The Slide strap solved that beautifully. With it's smooth easy to use adjustment buckle and one handed attachment points its a dream to use. As for the camera clip, I am an avid hiker and always use a backpack because I can't imagine lugging a shoulder bag on an eleven mile hike. I always end up walking past shots I would like to take but don't because I didn't want to stop, take off my backpack unzip it, get the camera out, take my photos and put it all back and start hiking again. The Capture pro solves this so well because nothing is more uncomfortable than the alternative which was fighting with the camera strap wrapped around me and the backpack.
So now I come to the best of the three. The Everyday Messenger.
The materials this bag is made of is all premium and has an expensive feel and rigidity. Even fully loaded the bag carries the weight very evenly and securely. The genius of this bag is the Origami inspired dividers that are easily repositioned even while gear is in the bag to make room or adjust the interior. The strap is comfortable and easy to adjust even while wearing it and makes quick access to you gear a dream, especially if you have a capture camera clip to go with it. It really is a great bag for everyday use. And this is without a doubt my new favorite shoulder/messenger camera bag.
That being said, I wouldn't use this bag for my mountain day hiking trips because a backpack camera bag is so much more comfortable for all day hiking and exploring. So I'll stick to my ThinkTank Perception Pro bag for that.
My advice to Peak Design, I want to see what you guys can do for a day hikers camera backpack. If you can make a shoulder/messenger bag this good, I would LOVE to see what you can do with a backpack.
The mounting plate that you use on both the strap and clip are also an ARCA type tripod plate and the Pro clip plate can be adapted by adding 2 metal plates to make it compatible with some Manfrotto systems using the RC2 plate. The bummer was the Manfrotto head I have even though uses an RC2 plate didn't work but for about $15 I purchased an adapter plate for the ARCA and just screwed it on top of my Manfrotto if I want. Though I did order a ARCA type ball head for a smoother tripod workflow.
The Slide strap I was also equally impressed with. The hardware is smooth operating and is very easy to change length and direction to hold the camera so you can wear it many other ways depending on your shooting situation.
The trouble is now I'm looking at the new Everyday Messenger bag made by Peak Design and thinking if they redesigned a clip and strap so perfectly their bag must be just as good so I'm now saving my quarters to purchase that next.
Want to buy these go to https://www.peakdesign.com/
Here is the list of gear I brought and used on the trip:
Sony Alpha 7M2
Sony Alpha 7R
Zeiss Vario-Tessar FE 4/16-35 ZA OSS
Zeiss Vario-Tessar FE 4/24-70 ZA OSS
Sony FE 4/70-200 G OSS
Sony HVL-F60M flash unit
5 Batteries (Sony NP-FW50)
I brought 2 different Camera bodies so I expand my choices and capability. The 7M2 for the 5 axis stabilization, fast focusing, and 5 FPS burst rate. The 7R for it's incredible image quality and lack of a low pass filter for enhanced sharpness. The 3 lens zoom kit seems to be the best choice for me, a great combination of being lightweight but still having great range. I have 3 Zeiss prime lenses from my old Contax camera system and an adapter so I can use them on the Sony but decided to leave those at home to lighten my pack. I didn't think I would need the 18mm f4, 50mm f1.4, or 300mm f4 on this trip, though I did debate on the 300mm since Yellowstone has great wildlife photo opportunities. But the weight of my bag was important so I went with the zoom lenses only.
The first day off the airplane was spent driving from Boseman to West Yellowstone so I didn't do much photography that day. Day 2 we drove over to the Fountain Paint Pots where I took this image in Black & White. I was impressed with how well the default B&W setting did on the Sony. I did punch up the contrast in camera, then polished the image up in Perfect Photo Suite 9. The image was shot in jpg mode on the 7M2 with the Zeiss Vario-Tessar FE 4/16-35 ZA OSS lens.
This next image was just a simple landscape
]]>
Q.
Hi Jaon, I took an Adult Ed class from you this Spring and would like a recommendation on a camera. My canon eos 6D is just to big to haul on a long trip - do you have a suggestion for a small digital in the $400 range?
Thanks, Kathy
In the compact camera area there are some cameras that stand out from the crowd as exceptional. I've recently switched all my Canon camera gear to Sony due to the incredible quality and value of their camera's and currently the Sony Alpha a5000 is extremely high on my list. With it's high Megapixel count and interchangeable lenses it is a perfect travel camera if you need to travel light, I would add a telephoto lens to the kit though to give you a truly incredible kit but that will raise the price an additional $350. This doubles the price for the kit, but you then have a full replacement to your heavy DSLR without giving up quality.
If you want to lighten your camera bag but still come home with quality images from your vacation that match your DSLR I'd go with the A5000 even given the basic lens it comes with only a 16-50 I'd take this over a "super zoom" compact camera due to the APS-C sized sensor that you can always crop later.
I hope this helps in your camera search.
]]>
1. With the high ISO capability of the Sony I no longer NEED 2.8 glass for low light performance. The native sensitivity of the Sony goes up to 24,600 while the 5D Mark 3 Canon has an expansion of ISO sensitivity. Native vs. Expanded is similar to the difference between optical zoom and digital zoom. The Native ISO of the Sony is WAY better in Quality.
2. Smaller camera bodies and lenses. I’m just tired to carrying heavy gear. I love to hike but hiking with my 5D Mark2 and just 2 lenses and a flash take up 80% of my backpack and weighs 8 to 10 pounds. Because of this I end up leaving them at home and bringing my Nikon Coolpix 7700. And though I love this camera I do sacrifice quality since it has a small sensor and don’t end up printing any “art” images from this camera due to the lack of quality.
3. I miss my Zeiss glass. Maybe I’m just being sentimental about the “golden era of film” but I learned my profession on Rolliflex, Contax, and Hasselblad gear. And I always loved my Zeiss lenses both for their quality, durability and subtle tones and incredible sharpness. It hurt badly when I sold my prime Zeiss 85mm & 50mm 1.4 and the 18mm, 24mm 2.8 and 35-70 lenses I owned but to switch to Canon I had to. But with the Sony I can once again bring the Zeiss into my camera bags.
4. My needs are different and the technology of the Sony is WAY ahead of the curve. Quality, Speed, innovation and price are huge. I hate the idea of having to spend 4000 to 7000 on a single camera body. I can buy 2 Sonys for the price of 1 Canon and with technology that moves so fast paying for that Canon camera body cuts SEVERLY into my bottom line since I have moved from full time photog to part time while my daughters are in school. The AF systems on the Sony are so quick and agile, and being able to easily connect your camera via a free app on my phone and control and upload photos on the fly are amazing. Heck the little a6000 is $549. 24mp and focuses and shoots at 11 frames per second and has much better subject tracking performance. The Canon D1X is $6,000 18mp and 12 frames per second and focuses SLOWER than the Sony…. If that doesn’t wake you up I don’t know what will.
So I’m making the switch to Sony. Just for chuckles Here is the gear I’m giving up and what I’m getting
2-Canon 5Dmark2’s with battery grips
15mm Sigma fisheye
16-35 2.8 L Canon
28-70 2.8 L Canon
70-200 2.8 L IS Canon
85 1.2 L Canon
300 2.8 L IS Canon
1.4x extender Canon
2x extender Canon
580EX 2’s Canon
What I’m going to buy
Sony A7 Mark2
Sony A6000
Sony 28-70 3.5-5.6 kit lens (for a spare or travel)
Sony 55-210 kit lens (for a spare or travel)
Zeiss 16-35 f4 ZA OSS
Zeiss 24-70 f4 ZA OSS
Sony FE 70-200 f4 G OSS
(Still looking at which flash to add at the moment)
So that is where I’m at for the moment and I’ll keep you posted on my sale, purchase and learning a new camera system. Thanks for reading my ramblings.
Jason Lee
]]>
Jason Lee
]]>I'm offering a VERY limited number of holiday sessions this year so unless you book your session early I will most likely be busy.
Here is a copy of my current pricing and I hope you have a great holiday season.
]]>
Sign up now at http://register.asapconnected.com/ShopCart.aspx?viewType=Max
Advanced Digital SLR
Total Fees:
$91.00
Description:
Control the artistic feel of an image by exploring the depth of field, change perspectives simply by using a different lens and decipher which professional tools to utilize in every scenario. In this advanced class you will gain the knowledge needed to enter the field of photography as a profession as well as develop and enhance your skills. Bring you camera gear and a notebook. Prerequisite: Basic skills of SLR such as menu, navigation, setting file size and changing lenses.
Additional Information:
Bring you camera gear and a notebook. Prerequisite: Basic Skills of SLR masters such as (menu, navigation, setting file size and changing lenses).
Class held in PSA 630, a portable classroom located behind 360 Finley Street in Auburn.
]]>
Whenever I do a portrait session I always select my favorite images and apply retouching and color correction. But I also usually add special artwork as well so you can see how many different ways your photos can look. There are so many different ways you can change the feel of an image today and I love creating new look's for clients.]]>Call us today and book your appointment now.
And for the first 20 clients who place an order from now to Jan 31st you will get 30% off all orders over $75.00 if you enter the code:
jan2013leephotosale
when you check out.
]]>Did you know that you can order incredible custom frames and matting directly from Lee Photo.
We've been selling incredible quality frames from Gross National Products for years in our studio and you can still order them right off our web site.
Just click on the "Custom Frames" link on our main page and search from there.
]]>
I'm really enjoying the new schedule of my work life, from the normal morning rush of Erin and I getting the girls ready for school and being able to walk with them to school (When it's not too cold or wet that is) then do a loop or two around the block to stretch the legs and lungs. Then down to business at the computer editing and applying artwork and corrections to my images of the day. But I am amazed at how quickly the day passes while I'm here at the desk. It seems that I no sooner sit down and work on 9-10 images and it's time to pick up the girls from school. Then it's onto the afternoon routine of homework, snacks and getting dinner fixed.
This is a new experience for me and so far I'm pleased about how it is turning out. But I must admit the hobbyist chef in me wants to be in the kitchen all day trying out the new recipe I saw in Sunset magazine though.
]]>Well the time finally came for me to buy a new Point and Shoot camera. And after a good 6 months of research and looking at everything out there I finally traded in my trusty Leica Digilux 2 for a.... Nikon Coolpix P7700 and wow am I ever impressed with this piece of gear. The image quality off of this camera is better than I got out of my DSLR just 3 years ago.
And so I'm going to do a long term evaluation of this camera and post my results and findings as I take this camera into the field and test it out.
The Placer School for Adults catalogues are out and my new class schedule is up. To sign up for your classes now click on this link.
http://register.asapconnected.com/StaffDetails.aspx?pk=12631
Thanks again and I'll see you in class.
]]>]]>
Try to avoid using on camera direct flash with your group shots it not only adds harsh shadows to the scene but is disturbing to the subjects. So try and find an area to photograph in where your light is good from the start and flash isn't needed. If flash is still needed try to bounce the flash off of the ceiling or a wall so the lighting isn't so harsh and straight on. Or if you have them available have a large lighting source off to the side lighting your subject at an angle. Remember if you are using large lighting panels, let your subjects get accustomed to the light before you just start snapping away
After watching the whole thing my take on it is though technology is helping photographers do some things easier, anyone who calls themselves a "professional photographer" needs to respect the craft of photography and learn the how and why of every aspect of photography from the camera tech. and control side (f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, etc.) To how to properly light and pose a subject. That way the profession of photography is lifted to a higher standard and it makes you a more effective artist. I'm not saying that you have to go print film in the darkroom, but you do need to know the basic principles of your craft to be able to call yourself a professional. And last but not least get involved in the groups that want to help you succeed as a professional photographer like P.P.A. and W.P.P.I. that offer training to help you become the best you can be
]]>
Jason Lee
]]>