The first thing I noticed was a button on top of the mode dial switch that keeps the current selected mode locked in.  This is a welcome change that was initially introduced by Canon as a send in addition to the 5D MkII and the 7D. Often times I have had the mode dial move from M (Manual) to B (Bulb) mode when the afore mentioned cameras were slung over my shoulder and moving around caused the dial to brush up against hip and thigh.  A few years ago I ran into an Associated Press photographer that had created a makeshift shield around the mode dial to prevent exactly the same behavior.  With the new mode lock button, these unintentional adjustments are a thing of the past.

The overall layout is similar to the 7D, with the on/off switch positioned just behind the mode dial, where previously it sat near the bottom back right along with the multi-function lock switch. Also included is the Q (Quick Menu) button, which was previously (on the 5D MkII) accessed by pushing in the Multi-Controller button.  Also borrowed from the 7D is the Live View shooting/Movie shooting switch with the recording start/stop button in the middle. The magnify button now relies on the top main dial to zoom in and out once pressed. I have seen a number of reviews where the reviewer(s) were unhappy that the top two buttons are no longer associated with zooming in or out. Perhaps it was due to reading these reviews before receiving the camera and it was not a surprise, however; I find this change a welcome one as it is not necessary to use two separate buttons that are roughly in the same vicinity as the dial button—I can simply dial right or left to zoom in or out.

The viewfinder is bigger and shows a full 100% view of the frame—no more guessing about the outermost edges. There is no longer an option to change the focusing screen, as the MkIII includes an LCD layout with various overlays (focus points, grid displays, etc…).  In essence Canon has taken the best features of the 7D and incorporated it into the 5D MkIII – including the design and contour of the hand grip.

I could go on and on about the controls, the addition of the 7D’s M-Fn (Multifunction button), the much smarter placement of the DOF (Depth of Field) preview button to the right side, but the immediate reaction and revelation I had was once the shutter button was pressed.  The Canon 5D MkIII is FAST—like a hair trigger pistol!  Shutter lag has gone from 73ms down to 59ms. Seeing that number on paper, one would hardly think a human being would perceive the difference of 14 milliseconds—but it IS more than noticeable.  Combine this with the (at this time) most advanced 61 point autofocus system in a 35mm DSLR and you have one solid performing reliable image capturing machine.

Model: Bri MUA: Lindsay Ambrosio (www.makeupmadame.net)

Also noteworthy—and perhaps this applies more to portrait and model photographers like myself—the addition of a “Rating” button that applies a one to five “star” rating to the image EXIF data has proven tremendously helpful while showing the subjects the preview images on the back LCD screen. The results can be seen in Adobe Lightroom, Canon’s Digital Photo Professional, presumably ACDsee when an update comes out for the 5D MkIII raw format, or any other application that reads standard EXIF data. I have seen a number of reviews cursing this additional button as useless, but I beg to differ.

The shutter itself is quieter along with a jump in burst mode from 3.9fps (frames per second) to 6fps. Not quite as fast as the 7D’s 8fps, but for a full frame high resolution (22.3 up from the 5D MkII’s 21.1 megapixels) camera, it’s a significant increase.

There are far more in-depth and technical reviews available, however; my first impressions both in the studio and outdoors for the few days I have owned it thus far have more than adequately squashed any notion or hint of buyer’s remorse.  The auto focus, low light focusing capability, reduction in high ISO noise, improved ergonomics and just the “feel” of this new addition to Canon’s lineup make a superb choice for professional photographers in a wide gamut of genres, from the studio to the streets and beyond.

Oh, I am still waiting on the BG-11 battery grip/vertical shooting handle which should be available at the end of May—this will make the ergonomics more than perfect.

Model: Amy MUA: Lindsay Ambrosio (www.makeupmadame.net)

Key Points:

• 22.3 Megapixel CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) sensor.
• Digic 5+ imaging processor.
• ISO 100 – 25,600 (expandable to 50 – 102,400)
• High density 61 point reticular autofocus.
• 100% viewfinder.
• 6.0fps (frames per second).
• 3.2” ClearView II LCD.
• Dual CF (Compact Flash) + SD (Secure Digital) card slots.
• Multiple exposure capable.
• HDR in camera shooting.
• Dual-axis electronic level.
• Ability to micro-focus adjust both wide and telephoto ends of zoom lenses, along with serial number recognition for specific lens corrections.
• Peripheral illumination correction along with color-fringe (chromatic aberration) correction based on lens data.
• Embedded time code option for video (SMPTE).
• Stereo headphone jack (monitor audio levels while shooting video).

Jeff DeHaven of DeHaven Digital Photography has partnered with Colorado Photography and Video Workshops, (www.cpvw.net) joining a team of world-renowned photographers, videographers and industry professionals.

Jeff DeHaven is offering two courses regarding digital retouching and workflow aimed first at beginning and intermediate photographers or editors, then an advanced course complete with color management, custom color calibrated camera profiles and final output.

The first course “Introduction to Adobe Photoshop Retouching for Beauty” is set for April 23^rd from 6PM to 10PM at Blue Silo Studios, 4701 National Western Drive, Denver 80216.  Price: $150

This one day workshop will cover the basic principles and tools used to retouch images to create stunning beauty and glamour portraits. It is intended for beginner and intermediate users of Adobe Photoshop.

 The workshop will begin by photographing a live model in studio and will continue through the retouching and exporting of the ready-to-print file of that model.

 Topics to be discussed in this workshop:

• Make-Up for Glamour and Beauty Photography
• Basic Beauty Lighting
• White Balance
• RAW vs. JPEG
• Using the Histogram
• Capturing the Image In Camera
• Color Space
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS5.1
• Retouching Tools (Healing Brushes, Clone Stamp, etc…)
• Removing Blemishes
• Adjustment Layers
• Dodging and Burning Using Curve Adjustment Layers
• Balancing Highlights and Shadows
• Selective Color Correction
• Basic Workflow Tips

Students are required to bring a laptop with Adobe Photoshop loaded.

 A demo can be downloaded from Adobe’s website here: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop

 It is recommended that you do not install the demo until the night before.

CLICK HERE for the registration page.

Beauty photography or “Beauty Shot” is probably best described as a subset of fashion photography with emphasis on the face, product, makeup and style. Jeff DeHaven of DeHaven Digital Photography specializes in a very bright, distinct style of beauty as seen in the examples on this page.

Whether for your modeling portfolio, makeup portfolio or just for your own personal enjoyment, you too can have a series of photographs that look like you’re fresh off the cover of a magazine or product ad. Contact us to reserve a photo-session and makeup session with one of Colorado’s best makeup artists (www.makeupmadame.com).

Please use the form below to contact DeHaven Digital Photography and reserve a session, or call 303-716-2645.

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As seen on:
High School Senior Pictures Photographers

Here we feature a recent shoot with Maxim “Home Town Hotties” Finalist Jordan Wright, representing Surprise, Arizona. Originally from Denver, Colorado—Jordan was in town during the holidays and booked a photo session with DeHaven Digital Photography.

Lindsay Ambrosio (www.makeupmadame.com) was on hand to provide her expert makeup services. We started out with beauty shots using a four light system and reflectors, and then moved on to glamour shots on a bed set made in the studio. Finally we ended with some beauty/glamour shots in the hallway using a technique of lighting that looks like natural sunlight. Jordan’s Maxim finalist page can be seen here: http://www.hometownhotties.com/profile/2294157?offset=64&gid=7603

This series is from a recent shoot with model Amy Jones. Lindsay Ambrosio (www.makeupmadame.com) was on hand to provide the makeup along with Tim Morehead, my studio partner, shooting behind the scenes video with my backup camera, the Canon EOS 7D.

We went from a series of beauty shots with a unique style of eye makeup Lindsay applied, to a “Mad Max” theme Lindsay came up with. A successful photo-shoot is truly a team effort. Tim also suggested the off center side cropping of Amy’s two sides and the resulting dual image above.

The beauty shots are a four light setup, the back light providing the background is a Speedotron in a large soft box. To either side are Alien Bees B800’s in strip boxes aimed at a tri-disk reflector system that has one disk in the middle (pointing up under the models chin) and two side reflectors on arms (reflecting the light from the strip boxes to the model’s cheeks). Above camera left, pointing down, is an Alien Bees B1600 firing through a gridded Beauty Dish.

This was shot at the studio in a variety of sets and different settings throughout the building.
The online version of Mile High Sports Magazine’s December issue can be seen here: http://digital.publicationprinters.com/publication/?i=91964&p=44 with the photos taken by Jeff DeHaven on pages 42, 43, 44 and 46.

David began by preparing mixtures of Alginate while his assistant coated the hair with a special conditioner. The conditioner is used to keep the Alginate from flowing into the hair and to preserve the hair texture.

After the subject is prepared, Alginate is spread over the hair, eyes, face and shoulders with careful consideration keeping the nasal airway open. Next, a special adhesive is applied to help bond the alginate with the next layer of cotton and gauze—this will allow the final structural layer of plaster to hold on to the entire mold, providing the rigidity necessary to support the rubbery Alginate.

Once cured, the subject is de-molded and a negative impression is made in the Alginate. This negative mold must be used almost immediately with Parvin’s choice of material as its water based structure will lose form within a day.

The video was shot by me (Jeff DeHaven of DeHaven Digital Photography) on a Canon EOS 7D with an EF-50mm F/1.8 II Lens (also known as the “nifty fifty”) and balanced by a Steadicam Merlin.

Canon 7D, BG-E7 Grip and the Canon EF 24-70mm F/2.8L Lens

I am familiarizing myself with the brand new, secondary camera body I just received; the Canon EOS 7D. I purchased this as a backup to my 5D MkII with the intent to capture every moment from my friend’s wedding that will be held in Bradenton, Florida next weekend, not to mention future projects where I can capture 60FPS slow motion video. There are interesting comparisons to be made between the 5D MkII and the 7D.

The 5D MkII has a full frame CMOS sensor, more dynamic range and less noise at higher sensitivity ISO levels than the 7D’s 1.6x crop factor sensor. However; the 7D has dual Digic IV processors that allow it to capture up to 8 frames per second for stills and 60 frames per second high definition 720P video that can be used as slow motion video.

Left: Canon 5D MkII, BG-E6 and 85mm F/1.2L II Right: Canon 7D, BG-E7 and 24-70mm F/2.8L

As a professional photographer, it is important to be prepared with multiple camera bodies and lenses of different focal lengths to capture every moment during an event of this magnitude. One must be prepared to capture any candid moment at any time, from any location.

Although I prefer the consistency, performance, sharpness and wide open aperture of prime lenses for controlled situations (i.e. not events); a wedding’s pace requires a bit of flexibility and compromise in the form of zoom lenses during the ceremony and reception. For that reason, during these events I will have the Canon EF 24-70mm F/2.8L and the Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM lenses on hand.

Left to Right: EF 85mm F/1.2L USM, EF 135mm F/2.0L USM, EF 100mm Macro F/2.8L IS USM

I have tested my new Canon 7D with the most unforgiving lenses I own: The Canon 85mm F/1.2L II wide open, the 135mm F/2.0L, and the 100mm Macro F/2.8L IS USM. All results are tack sharp and consistent.

I read a plethora of forum posts regarding issues with soft focus, problems with AI, etc… regarding the Canon 7D. I have not seen any issues with my copy, and from reading the testing methodology employed by many, I suspect a fair number (though not all) are user error.

The July 2011 issue of Mile High Sports Magazine featured
glamour photography by Jeff DeHaven of DeHaven Digital Photography in the “Girl
in Your Corner” section of the publication. Working with model Jenna Balsley in
two separate studio locations, the shots featured in the magazine are prime
examples of professionalism, attention to detail and creative vision that clients
expect from DeHaven Digital Photography.

The online archive of this publication can be viewed at the
following link: http://digital.publicationprinters.com/publication/?i=74458&p=46

Look your best, book your glamour session now!