Cliff Mautner answers questions from IPC vice presidents Alice Miller and Kathy Schneider. Photo © Brandon Remler

Just got back from the 15th Annual International Photographic Council (IPA) Awards Luncheon at the United Nations, where wedding photographer Cliff Mautner (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International/WPPI) was among the 8 recipients of the International Photographic Council’s (IPC) Leadership Awards. The other honorees were:

-Anthony Nex, American Photographic Artists (APA)
-Shawn Henry, American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)
-Neil Warner, Federation of European Photographers (FEP)
-Michelle McLoughlin, National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)
-Don Dickson, Professional Photographers of America (PPA)
-Charles Dharapak, White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA)
-John Rak, Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA)

The IPC, a non-governmental organization of the United Nations, presents its Leadership Awards each May in support of “International Professional Photographers Month,” saluting professional photographers from across the country and around the world.

Award Luncheon Chair Andy Marcus, president of Fred Marcus Photography, and IPC president James Chung, served as the event’s hosts, while IPC vice presidents Alice Miller and Kathy Schneider interviewed the honorees, one at a time, to determine what drives their passion for photography, how their businesses have adapted to change, and what they consider their “must have” photography products.

Mautner, fresh off his nuptials to wedding photographer Susan Stripling, told the audience his weapon of choice at a wedding is always his 85mm 1.4 lens on his Nikon D4. “It gives me the ability to produce timeless images my iPhone cannot,” he said.

Photojournalist Michelle McLoughlin, based in New Haven, Connecticut, had an emotional moment when she described how she was the second photographer on the scene at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut last year. “That is one story that will stay with me forever and the one phone call no one ever wants to receive,” she said. “The key for me to covering that event was to have the sensitivity and respect you would want given to you if your own family was involved.”

Rangefinder and WPPI want to congratulate all of the winners, with a special round of applause to Mautner, whose wedding is featured in the June issue of Rangefinder. Kudos to all!

But if the action’s at your end of the field, no worries—this lens can focus as close as 6.6 feet (and if the play is any closer than that, you have bigger problems than not being able to focus). Dust and water resistant, the lens is great for sports photographers and outdoor adventurers.

At 5.0 x 14.4 inches, it’s actually smaller than we anticipated given its supertelephoto reach, but it does weigh 127.7 ounces so you’ll need tripod/monopod support and upper body strength to lug it around. The good news is that Canon offers a lens case/strap kit for $910 (a bargain considering the lens costs $11,800 and you’ll want to protect your investment).

This lens didn’t fit the specs for our portrait lens roundup in the upcoming July issue (we talk about many different portrait lens options), but if you shoot sports, check out the September issue of Rangefinder to see what’s going on in the field—no pun intended.

More info on the lens.

For an article I’m writing about the portrait studio and the (now trending) temporary photo studio for the July issue of Rangefinder, I interviewed Caroll Taveras, a photographer worth watching if you don’t already know her.

Not only does the native New Yorker take editorial portraits of celebrities like Lena Dunham, Isabella Rosellini and Mark Ronson, but she stages her personal projects in pop-up photo studios at locations like a former London dental office, an empty office space on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and at MOPLA in California, photographing everyday people who come off the street for a chance to sit in front of a 4×5 camera and have their portraits taken.

Caroll Taveras in action at Underline Gallery. Photo © Lindsay Comstock

I caught up with Taveras at Underline Gallery in NYC, where her exhibition of portraits and photo collages opens tonight. The best part of the interview, aside from her contagious exuberance, was that she asked me to sit for her “Let Yourself Go” series in which she invited the public to make appointments to have their photos taken at the gallery.

The premise of this series: make her subjects laugh!

So I awkwardly sat in front of her large format camera (I’m also a photographer and am rarely in front of the lens), decided I had to lose that workday blazer, and began to laugh immediately out of sheer nervousness. But the real laugh—that “shot”—however, came from her whipping out some “your momma” jokes. And I was sold! (Though I still look a little hesitant!)

Do you have any personal stories about having your portrait taken? We’d love to hear them! Send them to lindsay.comstock@nielsen.com

We got a sneak preview of Zeiss’ new prime 12mm f/2.8 and 32mm f/1.8  Touit lenses yesterday at a press event the lens company held at The Standard in New York. The Touit (named after the Brazilian parrot) is a family of lenses for compact cameras, specifically designed for the Sony NEX and Fujifilm X. Aside from the great snacks, a Zeiss spokesman presented two videos on the lenses’ simple, lightweight, compact design plus touted the extreme wide angle and outstanding performance when compared to SLR lenses.

Photographers, writers and bloggers check out the new Zeiss Touit lens family. Photo © Jessica Gordon

Zeiss intends for the Touit to appeal to the pro photographer, looking to downgrade from his or her heavier DSLR, consumers who want an image-quality upgrade from their point-and-shoots, and the seasoned rangefinder street shooter.

The Zeiss family of lenses. Photo © Jessica Gordon

Our pals at PDN have a more in-depth technical review of the lens here. As Amy Baldridge writes: “Both new Touit lenses will be in stores by early June. The 12mm f/2.8 will carry a list price of $1,250, while the 32mm f/1.8 will sell for a slightly more palatable $900. Zeiss also plans to add a 50mm f/2.8 macro lens to the Touit line in late 2013.”

Would you consider a pro lens for your CSC?

Not surprisingly, the news–announced at this year’s Adobe Max conference–has caused quite a stir (and even a petition against the move). You can read more about it in John Rettie’s Digital Guru column in the coming July issue of Rangefinder and on the Adobe site, but here are a few quick facts. (Read the full FAQs here.)

• The software is downloaded to your computer so you don’t need an Internet connection to use the application but you do have to log on every 30 days to validate your license. However, you have a grace period and can use the software for 99 days without going online.
• Various subscription options are available including annual membership or, for a higher fee, a month-to-month membership. Plans include those for individuals, teams, enterprise, students/teachers for either the full complement of products or a single application.
• Special discounts are available to current owners of CS3 and later for the first year. For example, a single application (only one per customer) will cost you $10 a month with a one-year commitment but you’ll need to join by July 31, 2013.

Be sure to read the fine print and do the math before you join up. A cloud-based subscription may make sense for your business. Then again, you may be one of many who would rather own than lease. What are your thoughts? Will you be subscribing? Staying with your current version of Creative Suite? Looking for an alternative? Let us know.

This year we’re offering great classes and for the first time we are featuring the “Hands on experience” where you’ll be able to watch, learn and put into practice things you’ve learned with an instructor at your side to guide you. On day one we’ll have two tracks of learning which will feature workshops on weddings, portraiture, commercial/advertising photography, as well as great classes on workflow topics, such as Lightroom and Photoshop. There will also be great business intensives to help give you great takeaways for each day.

On day two, you’ll also have the opportunity to work hands on with our instructors at your side! Not only that, there will be portfolio reviews at the end of day one where you’ll have the chance to have your work critiqued by industry leaders. It’s a great opportunity to get honest feedback about your work by those who can help you get to the next level!

….and they’ll be some giveaways! We’re going to have raffles throughout the day from our sponsors, and you’ll have a great chance to take home some nice gifts! Two full days of learning, plus a lot of fun networking with your peers, industry experts, and world renowned photographers should prove to be a very worthwhile investment in your career!

Here’s a little preview of some the great classes:

In Chicago:

Blake Discher (ASMP) will be giving a Photo Business Boot Camp. As you know building a successful photography career takes more than great pictures. He’ll be covering everything from insurance and taxes to licensing, pricing and paperwork, you’ll get the needed tools, knowledge and resources to build a successful business as an independent creator.

In Atlantic City:

Pete Collins will be teaching you the basics of Professional Portrait Retouching. You’ll learn the step-by-step methods for fixing, enhancing, and finishing your portraits in Photoshop. Things like skin softening while keeping detail and texture and removing blemishes. You’ll also learn the best techniques for enhancing eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes as well as subtle body-sculpting to make your subjects look their best.

In Los Angeles:

Lindsay Adler will show us how to Conquer the Ten Most Challenging Lighting Situations, Easily. Sometimes photographers have to shoot in less than ideal lighting situations. Maybe the wedding is mid-day in the middle of a field, or perhaps the event is in a florescent-lit room. Lindsay Adler will cover the tools and techniques you require to handle direct sunlight, florescent light, low light with no flash, low light when you cannot bounce the flash, mixed light, and much more!

In Las Vegas:

Amanda Reed will be All Up In Your Business. She will discuss the importance of a business plan and how to modify mine to suit your needs. It’s all about customer connection and how you relate to your community. I will show you how I put my name in the mouths of my potential clients. If you are at a crossroads in your business I’ll let help take you to the next level as I get all up in your business.

Pieces by Maison Martin Margiela, from the Met's exhibit "Punk: Chaos to Couture." Photo © Lindsay Comstock

On Tuesday, Rangefinder senior editor, Lindsay Comstock, and I had the special treat of attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s press preview of the exhibition, “PUNK: Chaos to Couture,” which opens in New York City tomorrow.

Dress by Vivienne Westwood, from the Met's exhibit, "Punk: Chaos to Couture." Photo © Lindsay Comstock

The exhibition features designer gowns from the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Gianni Versace and Alexander McQueen—whose work was inspired by the era of Sid Vicious and locales like the bathroom at New York punk rock venue, CBGB.

"No Future" from the Met's exhibit, "Punk: Chaos to Couture." Photo © Lindsay Comstock

The exhibit was also the site and inspiration for the 2013 Costume Institute Ball last night.

Dresses by Gianna Versace at the Met's "Punk: Chaos to Couture" exhibit. Photo © Lindsay Comstock

And in viewing this high-fashion interpretation of punk’s gritty history, we got to thinking about the concept of punk styling in photography, and more specifically, how punk can manifest itself in one of the unlikeliest of places: wedding photography. How amazing would some of these gowns look on brides-to-be, walking down the aisle toward a future, garbed in a fashion that screams “no future?”

Men's ensemble by House of Dior and dress by Ann Demeulemeester, from the Met's exhibit "Punk: Chaos to Couture." Photo © Lindsay Comstock

Shropshire, England-based wedding photographer Bethan of Haywood Jones Photography specializes in counter-culture, vintage and dare-I-say ‘punk rock’-inspired brides in her studio.

© Haywood Jones Photography

Billed as “alternative portrait, wedding, music and more photography with a soul,” Haywood Jones Photography has been featured in Rock N Roll Bride, among other alternative wedding blogs.

© Haywood Jones Photography

© Haywood Jones Photography

So, does punk have a presence in wedding photography, and—in light of all this current punk renaissance—will it become even more of a trend in summer weddings?

The 21.5″, 1920 x 1080 HD display rests on a stand, which can be rotated to portrait or landscape and can be adjusted to a comfortable angle for your working conditions and to help keep stress on your hands and wrists to a minimum. Touch strips, toggle buttons and 16 Express Keys can be customized so everything you need is just a touch or tap away.

While I’m  a huge fan of the smaller Intuos5 Touch, working on an interactive screen takes the experience to a whole new, and much more efficient, level. At $2,500, the Cintiq 22HD Touch is a substantial investment but the device (and its $3,700, 24HD Touch sibling) is a real time saver and, we think, well worth the money.

Jun says of working on the book,”It was a dream to work on this project because the book is a combination of two things that I hold dear to me: The beauty of nature and delicious food. Capturing the essence of each dish and then also having the chance to taste every flower and almost every recipe was a huge contributing factor to my excitement and inspiration while working on the book. I am thrilled that this book can bring the unique and irreplaceable taste of edible flowers into people’s lives and cooking.”

The 192-page hardcover, published by Quirk Books, features 100 flower-filled recipes written by Miche Bacher, alongside Jun’s naturally-lit images of cakes, cookies, pies and all the flora that go into them. Not only a great side project for a wedding shooter, but an excellent way to show your expertise in nailing detail shots.

Take a look at some of our favorites:

See more…

But now the honor goes to Sigma, with its f/1.8, 18-35mm DC HSM Art lens. Sure, f/1.8 is only about 1/3 of  a stop faster than f/2.0 but given that most current constant aperture zooms max out at f/2.8, you’ll gain about 1 1/3 stops with the new Sigma model—not an insignificant gain, especially when shooting in dark churches, romantically-lit wedding receptions and other low light scenarios.

Lens size is constant, too, thanks to internal focusing and the lens measures a nicely compact 3.1″ x 4.8″. It weighs 28.6 ounces and is compatible with Sigma’s new USB dock for updating firmware and tweaking parameters such as focus.

The USB dock is expected to be available in May for a price of about $59. Lens price and ship date are still unknown so keep an eye on Sigma’s website for updates.