37.5 megapixels is so much data that my beast of a computer (Intel Dual Xeon 1.86gz + 16Gb ram + 64 bit operating system) slows down while trying to process the files in bridge. I have NEVER had this type of slow down before – and it’s purely from the sheer size of the file. I went back to test my 60mb raw files from my Leaf Aptus 75s and it did not have the same lag.

I will be upgrading my computer soon – as I have the need for a more equipped video editing system – so we shall see how things operate on a clean install. My tech guy also suggested that it’s the speed of my hard drives. I have 5400’s and 7200’s and apparently they aren’t fast enough with the data – so the lag is actually windows twiddling it’s thumbs… Not sure how accurate that is… but we shall see what happens with the new hard drive… that thing is going to have a dual 10,000RPM mirrored raid setup (plus the drobo + the online storage).

No hard drive slowage after that…

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I was shooting in my apartment over the past few days with my model friends Beck, Zerotia, and my girlfriend Emily. I used a Profoto Acute B2 power pack with either the Acute head or the Ring Flash. I find that kit is enough to keep in my house. I also have a 7B battery package with two heads and a ring flash – and that lives in my storage until I can get a new studio space here in new york.

Since I was working in close distance – I stuck with the 70mm lens. It proved to be a great focal length for me – as I had been shooting mostly with 50mm in the 35mm format. I shot wide open – even with the flash (low power as opposed to ND filters) and consistently my focus was sharp where I wanted it to be and the blurs were beautiful.

It doesn’t have the bokeh of the 180… but that is to be expected.

The 70mm is a really good compliment to the S2 since its weight is very minimal and the feeling of overriding the auto focus by hand is really … for lack of a better word… dreamy.

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The images were edited in post. The vignette was done in post. Surprisingly – the lens wide open – has little to no vignetting. It was kind of a disappointment as I had grown comfortable with it as a component of my aesthetic from shooting at 1.0 for so long.

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Due to the unique form of output for my thesis project, I edit my images within the profoto colorspace. This sometimes produces odd color shifts on certain browsers and certain screen s – especially laptops. I am sorry. I don’t care. I edit the photos for their ultimate output which in the case of my thesis – and the case of this particular series of images – are the brushed aluminum sheets.

Zerotia in the window seat.

Beck – fishnets and cigarettes.

Emily Therese – No fishnets but cigarettes.