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Quick note: Shot against the sun, mid-afternoon, on a sunny day (which is rare in the UK!) at full power. I only added contrast in post, after cropping, and a touch of cross-processing (Blue/Yellow). Oh, and slight vignette!

I have been helping the Production Team, making sure our team of loggers could do their job properly and taking part in the logging myself. And I will be there until the end of this month. Here is a video about the behind the scenes (with Time-Lapse by excellent Photographer Patrick Ward – his videos will be back on within a few days):

Of course, I have been working on my photography as well, with a bunch of project I cannot yet reveal. But soon enough I will be able to post a few stills for you to see. We covered the Vintage Festival in Goodwood. We also had a few weddings, which I will post soon too. I also took part of my first short film as a DoP (filmed 100% on a 5D Mk II!) for Blank Canvas Media, and I have to say I really really enjoyed it. And there might well be more to come!

That’s all for now. To all a happy happy (Jewish!) New Year!

Shana Tova!

Here it is, straight out from the scan, the best 5:

It’s just a shame that the strobes were pointed at me that whole time. But then again, what can you do!

- David Hobby a.k.a. Mr STROBIST:

He’s basically the guys that got me into flash photography. David created a Blog where he decided to share all of his secrets on how to use flashes to light your photos like a pro. And you know what, it is an incredible source of valuable information that any photographer would want to check out.

I particularly recommend going through the lighting 101 and 102 series!

- Chris Lopez:

Chris has been the photographer for Sony music for almost 10 years and is now freelancing everywhere. He has met the biggest stars during that time, and photographed them all. His images are just incredible. And The guy is just so much fun.

I have been assisting Chris for now about a year, and each time I learn a little more. And soon I will share some of these images on here. But in the mean time, have a look at his portfolio. Just great great stuff.

- Jeremy Cowart:

Not only is he a very talented photographer, but he is also a guy that seems to keep pushing forward. He started the Help-Portrait project worldwide in which I am taking part. And you should definitely check his portfolio. The guy is gold!

- Chase Jarvis:

Well, who needs to introduce him? This guy is just doing it all right. If you ever want to become one of the best commercial photographer in the world, follow his example!

You can check out his series of video about his work, his inspiration and his business on here (also available on itunes as a podcast!). You can have a look at his portfolio for some great quality images. And of course, the blog is a great source of information about what he does, but also about how he does it :)

- Joey Lawrence:

Well, although i’m not a fan of all of his work, I am particularly impressed with 2 aspects: His age (21 yo!! insane!) and his African series called abyssinia.Look at the light on there, it’s just so beautifully executed.

He’s also put together a couple of tutorial DVDs available to purchase on here and Amazon.

- Scott Kelby:

Again, another amazing photographer. So much to say about him, I wouldn’t really know where to start. So check him out here.

- Joe McNally:

Probably one of the guys I respect the most. Reading his blog is just a bless. He is so knowledgeable about photography and the business of photography. Here again, so much to learn and feel inspired from.

- Vincent Laforet:

Ok, Vincent is a favorite of mine. he’s the person who did this amazing work called “reverie” using the video feature of the then pre-release of the Canon 5D Mk II (which is my camera of choice). Just a couple of days ago, he id it again with a pre-release of the 1D Mk IV, it’s called “Nocturne” and it shows off the new High ISO capabilities… No words can describe it, just check this out.

And of course his portfolio and blog.

- Zak Arias:

Amazing man, and amazing story. Zack is the kind of guy you want to be! His One light work is again out of this world. And he’s a giver. His blog is full of food for thoughts and goodies. Highly recommended too.

- Paul Bence:

A good friend of mine, and my partner in crime with all things photography. We shoot weddings together. But you should check out his Street Portrait series. Just great personalities and great photos. The guy has the magic touch :)

His site is up any day now, check it out here. And his new blog here.

- John Keatley:

Well, John is someone I discovered only a few days ago. I don’t know much about his. His portfolio is just really interesting. And his blog is a great insight in his photography.

- Becker:

Quirky, a little geeky but extremely cool and funny, his blog is just really entertaining. He is a great wedding photographer and you can really see his imprint on each and every photo of his. It’s a great example of how a brand and a style can take you anywhere – well, if you are as cool as him it’s a bonus too!

- Jasmine Star:

Jasmine is a wedding photographer too. And I wish I could connect as much as her when I write a new post on my blog. But she does it really well, and she makes you feel like you’re friends. It’s quite nice! But more importantly, her images are just colorful and sharp, so real and so warm. It makes you want to get married!!

And the website is here.

- Jessica Claire:

Her Blog/Site is all is one. She’s in the orange county crew with Becker and jasmine Star. And she creates great images with amazing vibrant colors and beautiful brides and grooms. And she even took the time to blog about her own experience during the preparation of her own wedding… Worth a read if you are into wedding photography.

- Flamed:

He is just an advanced amateur, I am assuming. And he is a contact of mine on flickr… the guy has an eye, really interesting photos, unconventional angles… I mean, really worth a few minutes of your time ;)

- Wilie Maercklein:

He’s another contact of mine on flickr. And he produces just amazing portraits and really special noir images… have a look and enjoy :)

- Todd Owyoung (ishootshows):

Well, again, some more good stuff! He’s a pro of live music photography, and does it well! You can check him out on flickr or on his blog. Loads of info sharing, and he really interacts with his readers… Go and have a look.

- Dustin Diaz:

He’s an engineer for twitter as far as i know. And he’s currently finishing off his 360 series “strobist style” ! it’s all here and here.

– right –

Ok, I was gonna add another 20 or so and thought I’d rather make another post soon. There’s enough for you guys to be busy for a while!

So, inspiring, isn’t it?

this is a little unusual but I got a slot on the 4th Plinth in Trafalguar Square. It’s this coming Friday (9th Oct. 2009) between 7pm and 8pm. For more info, read on there: http://www.oneandother.co.uk – Thanks to my Girlfriend Ilana, it was her initiative (as always, she has the best ideas!)

Now, since i’ve been really lucky, it falls at the exact time of the weekly live show on Sky arts and will be streamed live (like any other “performances”) on the One And Another website as well as on sky arts. So there is a chance I’ll be interviewed as well! Me! Interviewed!? lol

Let’s really hope for no rain. Imagine the laugh! All soaking wet, for an hour up there on the plinth!

I will be doing a few things up there.

• I’ll be taking photos, of course, of you people and the surrounding! At the end of the day I am a photographer! And I will be using a very old medium format that used to be used by press photographers in the late 1940′s. It’s a Graflex Speed Graphic Press camera, and looks every little bit old like… really old! It will be my first use since a good friend of ilana’s mum gave it to me. And it produces massive slides almost the size of an A5!

• We’ll be doing a sing along on the song “Smile“, also known as the Charlie Chaplin song… Thx to ilana, cause i wouldn’t know how to organize that myself! So come along and learn the words, we’ll be singing our heart out! and follow her on twitter for the latest info about her upcoming events!

• I’ll be promoting a project put together by Jeremy Cowart called Help-portrait. The idea being to find people/charities that could do with free quality portrait and give them the photos for free. It will take place on the 12th December 2009 and this will be my attempt to get as many people involved as possible! We need photographers who are willing to give their time for free. We need Locations! Photographic Studios, empty rooms or any cool place we could use on the day. Of course, all that for free! And we’ll need people to photograph: charity, youth movement, people in need… Anyone in need! I even got a T-shirt made for that which i’ll be wearing on the day!

Here is a little video to explain all about the Help-Portrait project:

For more info, here are a few links:

The One and Another website, to catch the streaming live: http://www.oneandother.co.uk

The help portrait website: http://www.help-portrait.com

The help-portrait community website to get involved: http://community.help-portrait.com

the place I got the T-shirt made: http://www.eastlondonprinters.com (thx to Brian, you’re brilliant!)

My twitter (if you want to spk to me while i’m up there!):  http://twitter.com/romainkedochim

And to spread the love, you can email or tweet and retweet this post using this shrot url: http://bit.ly/3wxPjJ

EDIT: a little review on londonnet as well http://www.londonnet.co.uk/news/2009/oct/smile-flashmob-heads-4th-plinth-trafalgar-square.html

And for the photographers out there, a little setup shot:

1 x580 EX-II in a softbox above DIY light tent made out of cardboard box and paper from the printer + piece of white Paper for the seamless background from a shop around the corner… Power varied between 1/4 and 1/2 and Aperture was around F/13 to keep most of the pieces in focus and sharp. And the speed was probably 1/200th Sec since I needed to kill all that ambiant light coming from the fluorescent light on the ceiling.

TinEye is a reverse image search engine: you can find your photographs whenever, and wherever they appear on the internet. It uses a sort of “signature” of the image you submit, and then compares it to the signature of all the images referenced in their database.

In short, it works wonders! Check it out yourself with their Cool Searches. It will show you how powerful this tool is, and how amazing is the potential uses for this once it has crawled enough of the internet.

Idee Inc has come up with a free version of Tineye to start with, but they are hoping to offer a paid feature that will allow you to submit a group of images and then receive updates regularly of where and how it’s been used. There is even a plugin for both IE and Firefox!

So watch out! This is gonna be big! More info about this on their blog.

And here is a quick video presentation:

So what is it that makes it such a powerful tool?

Well first, it is FREE.

And that, in my book, is an opportunity for anyone with a low budget. It allows you to share your photos with your friends. And it also gives you a chance to see your own evolution in the way you approach photography. You only need a computer and an internet connection.

More importantly, it is a real community.

It is a place where you will always find people interested in the same things and ready to answer what you would think is a stupid question. For that, the group feature is just an endless resource to explore. For example, I am part of a few groups myself, but there are 4 on which I spend most of my time:

• The “Strobist” group. its philosophy: “Less Light – More brain” – It will teach you all you need to know about flashes and lighting techniques. The place to start would be the blog though.
• The “Wedding Photography” group.
• The “Concert Photography” group.
• The “Pro Corner: Semi-Pro and Professional Photography/Photographer” group.

For all of these, I find something unique in them. I learn a lot from other people and from their mistake. And I share as much as I can. I believe strongly in the saying “What goes around comes around”. The more you give, the more it comes back to you. So one piece of advice: Get involved! You will meet interesting people, with the same passion as you, and who are really eager to share knowledge.

An important thing to bear in mind is that all of the groups have a set of rules of their own. Some allow only a certain amount of photo to be added each day by a member. Others ask for the information about the technique to be added to the description. Some ask for photos of cats only! You can find anything and everything. So obey the rules and all will be fine!

It is a place to get feedback.

Leaving a comment on a photo is a nice way to say, in a more personal way, that you appreciate it. But it is also a great way to get people interested in your own stuff. I find that most of the time, the more i comment, the more comments I get. And when I like a photographer a lot, I add him/her as a contact to be sure to not miss any upcoming photo. Most of the time they reciprocate, but it’s not a rule.

You can also, in most groups, ask directly for feedback about a certain picture. And people are usually happy to give you some constructive criticism. But beware! If you’re not someone who can accepts negative comments as well as positive comments, it might not be for you. People tend to be fairly honest in general, and if you ask what could be improved in your shot, people will tell you. I mean, you asked for it, right!

So I hope that all of you out there who haven’t signed up yet will. And Flickrmail me so I can check out your stuff!