Mike Reed Photography

Presently I have some kind of a workflow. I am adapting and refining the more I read and

discover, as the digital flurry of pixels keep mounding like snowdrifts on my increasing

number of mountainous hard drives. Before, it was chuck the slides or proof sheets in a shoe

box and that was it. Now as I shoot 90% digitally, organization is here…Lightroom 3, NX 2,

Capture Pro … monthly folders, project folders, catalogues, smart collections, key wording,

rating and flagging and importantly file names to find again that shot!! I use LR to do global

changes and try different approaches with pre sets and sliders and then CS5 Photoshop for

local corrections. I had a dark room set up when I started photography with a Hasselblad,

bought by the small inheritance I received on my 21st. Then it was a Pentax ES2 for a short

while until I settled on Nikon forever. I have now the Nikon D3X and a Nikon F6 with 3 zoom

lenses all f2,8, 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm. My street photography is with the zooms but

when in a studio, I would use primes, 50mm, 85mm etc. with the camera tethered to my Lap

top into LR3 I have a Sigma DP 2 that I keep as a back up in my pack if I lose my camera. (I

did when my D3X was stolen in Sydney)

I use a Gitzo 3540 XLS tripod with Really Right Stuff BH-55 with B2-Pro II Quick release

Clamp and a Manfrotto 682B monopod with RRS BH-40 with B2-Pro II clamp. All cameras

have the RRS and Kirks plates fitted for quick release.

I back up to my 17” laptop when I am travelling with 2 spare 500GB back up drives; one

music and one for pictures. NX2, LR and Photoshop are with me in the field as well. I have

calibrated my lenses and D3X with Lensalign Pro to check the fine focus, which is then

stored in the camera according to the lens mounted. I have calibrated the camera profile with

Macbeth Color Chart and software script:

I am exploring the world of film with my Hasselblad and a Toyo View 8x10 camera with

Polaroid 8x10 back also 4 x 5 reducing back with also Polaroid back for Fuji film (or Polaroid

when it becomes available again.) I have a Cambo Column studio stand as well as Elinchrom

2400 flash heads and the usual light modifiers.

'Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me

are not important.' - Henri Cartier-Bresson