Joe Farace

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Web Profiles
Professional And Amateur Photographers; Every Artist Was First An Amateur
Joe Farace  |  May 01, 2007

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic."

While my quote of the month is from "anonymous," the subhead was a statement made by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who I think is of "Where's Waldo?" fame. In recent months, this column has featured some professional photographers who...

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Digital Innovations
Proper Exposure Is The First Step: Tips & Tools To Improve The Photographic Experience
Joe Farace  |  Oct 21, 2011  |  First Published: Sep 01, 2011
Dick Stolley, who many consider Time-Life’s best managing editor, once told People magazine photographers that a successful image elicited a “Gasp Factor” from the viewer. Stolley believed that if the image stopped the reader, forced them to take a second look, read the headline, and perhaps the rest of the story, the photograph passed his test. Often the best photographs—those “Gasp Factor” ones—are made under less than ideal lighting conditions. These images are made on stormy days, at the crack of dawn, sunset, or in the dark of night when getting the proper exposure can be a distinct challenge. It is those precious fleeting minutes when the quality of light provides photographers with images that separate photographs from snapshots.
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Quantum's Leap
The Qflash T4d Digital
Joe Farace  |  Dec 01, 2004

All Photos © 2004, Joe Farace, All Rights Reserved

The Quantum Qflash T4d Digital is a serious flash unit that combines the form factor and user interface of the kind of high-end flash units that camera manufacturers charge big bucks for with the kind of power normally found in small monobloc studio strobes. Then there's that removable reflector that...

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Quantum’s Turbo Slim Compact Battery & More; The Studio In A Shoebox Revisited
Joe Farace  |  Oct 01, 2007

More than 20 years ago, photographer and photographic genius Gary Regester showed us all how to create a lighting system that used two shoe-mounted flash units and would indeed fit inside a shoebox. Over the years I've tried to create something similar--a set of small electronic flash units and all the required ephemera that would fit inside a small carrying case. But I...

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Web Profiles
Rain Forest; Cross The River And Rest Under The Trees
Joe Farace  |  Apr 01, 2007

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?"

In another photo magazine's blog, the writer notes the passing of J. Frederick Smith at 88 and says, "I had heard his name but wasn't really aware of his work until recently." At first I was surprised by this sentence since it appeared in what was...

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Buyer's GuidesGeared UpNewsTripod NewsTripod Reviews
Ready, Steady, Go!: Our 10 Favorite Tripods and Camera Supports
Joe Farace  |  May 31, 2018

Tripods come in many sizes, from tabletop models to heavy-duty camera stands designed for studio use. Because of the variety of types, styles, and even colors, there’s rarely a one-size-fits-all tripod for most photographers. And, like eating potato chips, you can’t have just one.

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Lighting NewsLighting Reviews
Rime Lite Fame Monolights: We Test The Two-Light Kit
Joe Farace  |  Dec 20, 2011  |  First Published: Nov 01, 2011

Rime Lite (www.rimeliteusa.com) monolights are manufactured by Hyundae Photonics Co., Ltd., a company that’s been building high-quality studio lighting gear in Korea since 1981. They’re now being distributed in the U.S.A. by Dynalite (www.dynalite.com). The Fame Monolights are available in three different models that deliver 200, 400, and 600 watt-second output. (To see technical specifications on the three Fame monolights, go to the Instant Links section of our website, www.shutterbug.com, for this issue.) The monolights feature a circular Xenon flash tube and a modeling light that’s protected by a hard vented glass cover that easily screws on or off. Two knobs on the back of each light allow you to continuously vary the output for either the flash or the modeling light. A cluster of four LED-illuminated buttons let you turn on (or off) sound, the modeling light, the built-in slave, or the ubiquitous “test.”

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Lighting NewsLighting Reviews
Rotolight Anova LED EcoFlood: Is This The Future Of Studio Lighting?
Joe Farace  |  Oct 18, 2013  |  First Published: Sep 01, 2013

In this test, Joe Farace tackles a higher-end LED light source that he adapted to still photography work. In it you will find technical sidebars outlining how we will test LEDs for the still photographer in the future. We offer this somewhat tech-heavy review as both a close look at this unit and a primer on LED output and LED lighting, which, as Joe states, will become increasing important, and prevalent, in studio and location work for the still shooter.—Editor

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Lighting NewsLighting Reviews
Rotolight Interview Lighting Kit: LED Lighting In Your Pocket
Joe Farace  |  Oct 15, 2012  |  First Published: Sep 01, 2012

One trend much in evidence for lighting these days is the use of LED as a light source. Rotolight, distributed in the US by R.T.S. Inc. (www.rtsphoto.com), has several new products in this space, beginning with their RL48-B RingLight. As a continuous light source, the Rotolight is useful for video or still photography. The basic RL48-B includes a filter holder and a Lee Filters Calibration Filter Kit (CTO: 205, 223, and 285; ND/Diffusion: 298, 209, and 216).

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Lighting How ToLighting NewsLighting ReviewsNews
Rotolight NEO Review: Does a New LED Lighting Tool Provide a “Goldilocks” Solution?
Joe Farace  |  Feb 05, 2016

LED lighting is all the rage with the cool kids and why not? It’s continuous and that’s important for new photographers or anyone wishing to capture hybrid—video and still—imagery. It’s also literally cool, with no eyebrow-melting hot lights making subjects uncomfortable.

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