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01 What is a RAW file?
A) A Raw file is
the file produced by a digital back or dslr that is native
to that manufacturer. These files can be
processed again and again into multiple formats (tiffs,
jpegs, dng’s, etc) non-destructively. It can be
compared to the negative of traditional photography.
Some common
RAW extensions are: .tif (Phase One), .mos (Leaf), .fff(Hasselblad),
and .Cr2(Canon). Most RAW files, as of late, can be processed
using Adobe Photoshop ACR (Adobe Camera RAW), but the
latest ACR plug-in must be installed. Go to Adobe.com
to update
yours. back to top
02 How long will you keep my images?
A) We will make every
effort to keep your images on our RAID storage units, but
can only GUARANTEE them for
three months
after the shoot, unless other arrangements are made.
We highly recommend that you purchase a hard drive
and take
a copy
of your files home to store in a safe place. Just like
your negatives of old. back to top
03 What do you
charge for processing RAW files?
A) Bulk processing, that
is no manual alterations or corrections before processing,
of your images
can be
done for free.
But we will charge a day rate of $250-$500 for
custom processing, based on the number of files to be
processed. back to top
04 Do you recommend tiffs or jpegs?
A) We recommend lo-res
jpegs (8x10 at 150 dpi) for editing purposes, or to use
in an on-set
quark or
indesign layout,
and can usually get these to you before you
leave the studio or location after the shoot. After your final selections we will process and
deliver hi-res tiffs either 8 or 16 bit. back to top
05 Which camera back is best
for me?
A) There are many digital backs to choose from
at this time, and we will recommend the
back that we
feel is
right for
the situation, be it a slowpaced still-life
shoot, an advertising shoot for a billboard, or a
fast paced fashion
shoot. We
are experienced with all types, and have
multiple brands in-house. With no affiliation towards
any, we are biased
only by what we think will be best for you.
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06 Will your digital tech also serve
as my assistant?
A) No. We believe that in order to
perform to their best ability, our techs need to pay
full
attention
to the
capture station and their tasks at hand.
That’s
not to say that we won’t lend a hand
now and again, but we are very wary of delegating
too much to someone who is responsible
for your entire shoot. back to top
07 How
do you recommend I store my digital files?
A)
After delivery of your digital files on DVD or hard drive,
we recommend that you
store these
files
either
on a RAID
device or on two completely redundant,
separate devices. DVD’s are a great short term
delivery device, but are prone to scratching
or degredation over time. Hard drives
should be considered to fail at some point
in their life, so two separate, identical
locations is your best bet. Internal
hard drives are rapidly becoming cheaper
and bigger, and most computers can hold
two, if not more. back to top
08 I miss poloraoids, do you have any alternative?
A) We
send every capture station out with a 4x6 printer, capable
of making prints,
bigger
and,
we feel, more
accurate than polaroids. These are great
for using as reference
for stylists, pinning up to see a layout,
composing, or giving
to the art director as reference. If
desired, we can print the image with a corresponding
file number
for
later reference. back to top
09 What is the turnaround
time for my processed images after the shoot is over?
A)
24 hours is the standard turnaround time for hi-res processed
files, but
we can normally
get
a well –edited shoot
processed and delivered to you by
noon the next day in-town. Out of
town delivery
requires fed-ex, but should still
be in your hands by noon the second
day
after a shoot. Taking
advantage of our easy to use FTP
server can dramatically reduce out
of town
delivery time. back to top
10 Why would I choose
to work with you over renting digital
gear and
hiring a tech separately?
A) Our service
takes care of you long after the shooting is done.
We believe
that by
using us,
your project
is overseen and executed by one
group from start to finish.
You have
a point of contact that you become
familiar with, and know exactly
who to contact
with any questions.
Our
equipment is used only by us, so
we know exactly and intimately
each
camera, lens, back, and especially,
computer. Being a boutique service,
we take great
care of each
and every
one of our
clients, and being kinda nerdy,
we take great care of each of our computers,
each being
set up with
the latest
software
to make our job easier, and your
shoot smoother, leaving you to
concentrate wholly on your
job and clients. back to top
11 Will your digital
tech retouch for me on set?
A) We hire techs based not only
on their skill and familiarity
with
the capture
programs, but also on
their familiarity
with photoshop. There is a fine
line between helping you and
the client
realize the
full vision on set,
which we
will gladly help you achieve
(ie—mock-ups, minor retouching),
but there also has to be limits
on what is expected of our techs, as retouching is a completely
separate art. back to top
12 What is a RAID?
A) RAID stands for Redundant
Array of Independent Drives
(or Disks).
A RAID
is a storage
scheme that writes
information amongst multiple
disks. It can be designated
to provide
data reliability or write
speeds based on the configuration
(Levels 0-5). In laymans terms, when
your information
is saved to a RAID (Level
5), if one of the disks fails,
the information is not lost, as it
is redundantly written
across the
other disks. back to top |
