Turning Medium Format

Turning Medium Format

Jerry Ghionis believes the new Phase One P 40+ medium format camera system is going to create a brand new market segment for wedding photographers and he plans on being the first to exploit it! In the profession of wedding photography, few are as well-known or respected as Australian photographer Jerry Ghionis. Now working from an up-market boutique studio in the modern Docklands area, Melbourne, he shoots weddings, portraiture, fashion and special event assignments. A Master of Photography with the AIPP (Australian  Institute of Professional Photography), American Photo magazine listed Jerry as one of the Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World and Microsoft has named him an Icon of Imaging. Jerry’s assignments and seminar engagements see him travelling the globe several times a year. An inspirational public speaker, there is standing room only for his platform presentations at congresses such as WPPI (Wedding Portrait Photographers International) and PPA (Professional Photographers of America) where he is hugely influential, promoting in-camera creativity to turn the ‘ordinary into the extraordinary’. And he has had extraordinary success in photographic competitions, winning for example six International Wedding Album of the Year awards at WPPI in the last seven years. So when Jerry Ghionis made the move to medium format digital, the world took notice. Why after creating such a big reputation with DSLR cameras would he change camera formats, specifically the Phase One P 40+ camera system?

Stepping Up
Jerry explains his move to medium format with one word: quality. “It astounds me”, he explained. “I picked up my new camera from L&P Digital Photographic, took it home and made a few shots from my balcony overlooking Melbourne city. When I opened up the files on my computer, I couldn’t believe how far I could zoom into the image. I mean, I could see people inside the windows of buildings several kilometers away – I was seeing detail I wouldn’t dream of seeing before.” The new Phase One P 40+ (with Sensor+ technology) features a 40-megapixel sensor with 6 micron pixels, producing a 7320x5484 pixel image with a 4:3 ratio format. This is nearly twice the resolution of Jerry’s existing DSLR camera. “And there was something else about the image quality that I loved. It wasn’t just the clarity and the fine detail, it was the way the digital back records highlights and shadows – the dynamic range. Working for years with DSLR cameras, I guess I just accepted the image quality as being the best that was possible, but now looking at a medium format file, I have reassessed what quality is all about. It is simply amazing!” Jerry is referring to medium format digital photography’s most powerful advantage: a huge dynamic range. The P 40+ has a 12.5 f-stop range, once again almost twice what is provided by a DSLR camera, enabling images to record and retain detail in both highlights and shadows in a single exposure.

For a wedding photographer shooting brides with white dresses and grooms with black suits, medium format digital quality is the ultimate solution. Clients spend a lot of money on the dress and suit, so it’s imperative that all the photographs show the finest detail. Shooting weddings is perhaps the most demanding of all photographic disciplines. Working in a range of different locations, often in the late afternoon and early evening, Jerry is constantly working in low light. In fact, he looks for and creates mood and atmosphere with available light and one or two of his signature light sources. Until the Phase One P 40+ arrived, Jerry says medium format wasn’t an option for him because he couldn’t shoot at over ISO 800. Now with the press of a button, the P 40+ with Sensor + technology can have Jerry shooting at up to ISO 3200. Sensor+ technology, developed by Phase One, uses a process of ‘pixel binning’ to provide higher ISO settings. With the Sensor+ feature activated, the P 40+ back combines the data from four pixels into one piece of data, providing a four times increase in sensitivity. And while the size of the resulting file changes from 40 to 10-megapixels, it does so without changing the size of the capture area so the focal length remains the same. “Years ago when I was shooting with a Mamiya RB67, I basically used ISO 400 film and that was it! However, today it’s a different world and shooting at higher ISO settings is a necessity, especially for the type of photography I do. “I love shooting with candle light and video lights and I need to shoot hand-held in dark churches. The choice used to be flash or a tripod, but neither suit the style of photography I produce,  so having a high ISO setting on a medium format digital camera is simply priceless.” Even more importantly, Jerry explains, when you capture images in low light, it’s all the subtleties in the shadow areas that make the difference. “Think about a bride and groom walking proudly down the aisle as they leave the church and your photograph not only renders the folds of the dress and texture of the suit, but there’s fine detail in the ceilings and stained glass windows in the church as well. How amazing is it to have a 12.5 stop dynamic range!”

Camera Ergonomics
Jerry says the Phase One 645 camera is just as easy to use as a DSLR. “It handles beautifully. When I first held it, and I know this is a bit of a cliché, it really did feel like an extension of my hand. It’s got a beautiful, comfortable grip which for a medium format camera is imperative if it is to be considered was a viable option for wedding photography. And it’s not as heavy as you might imagine it to be.” The Phase One 645 camera offers shutter speeds from 1/4000 second to 60 minutes, with flash sync up to 1/125 second and even faster with upcoming leaf shutter lenses. The mirror and viewfinder system is almost three times larger than a 35mm camera, providing unheralded control over focus and composition, and the TTL phase-difference autofocus system provides three focus points. The camera accepts lenses from Phase One, Mamiya AF/AFD and Hasselblad V and the camera is Jerry says the Phase One 645 camera is just as easy to use as a DSLR. “It handles beautifully. When I first held it, and I know this is a bit of a cliché, it really did feel like an extension of my hand. It’s got a beautiful, comfortable grip which for a medium format camera is imperative if it is to be considered as a viable option for wedding photography. And it’s not as heavy as you might imagine it to be.” The Phase One 645 camera offers shutter speeds from 1/4000 second to 60 minutes, with flash sync up to 1/125 second and even faster with upcoming leaf shutter lenses. The mirror and viewfinder system is almost three times larger than a 35mm camera, providing unheralded control over focus and composition, and the TTL phase-difference autofocus system provides three focus points. The camera accepts lenses from Phase One, Mamiya AF/AFD and Hasselblad V and the camera is robust to handle the rough and tumble of wedding photography. “The focusing on the new camera is a lot quicker than earlier models and it’s nice to have a different format. I mean, I’ve enjoyed shooting the 3:2 ratio format on a DSLR, but to have something closer to the RB67 format I started with is really great. The 4:3 ratio is yet another way I can differentiate what I do.”

Marketing Advantages
However, Jerry’s ideas about formats and style are set to change further still. “It’s pretty easy for anyone to get a good shot out of a compact camera, but to produce medium However, Jerry’s ideas about formats and style are set to change further still. “It’s pretty easy for anyone to get a good shot out of a compact camera, but to produce medium format quality which has a distinct physical presence, whether you’re looking at the camera or the prints it produces, well, that’s really exciting. However, it’s important to educate your clients about what you do. “When we first changed from film to digital, prospective clients would arrive at our studio convinced that film was better, so my solution was to show them comparative prints, one made from a 35mm negative and another made from a DSLR. We enlarged them up to 20x24 inches so they could clearly see the differences and how good digital had become. “This approach was incredibly powerful and now I can just imagine the effect it will have when I compare prints taken with a DSLR and the new Phase One P 40+. For the clients I want to work for, quality is a major USP (unique selling proposition) and showing off the quality of the Phase One P 40+ will be a huge positive.” Since starting his new boutique wedding studio, Jerry is looking to position himself at the pinnacle of the market. He has several approaches in mind. “My new studio will only show big enlargements, 48x32” and 40x40” prints. Basically if you show big, you sell big, but the photos need to have a ‘wow’ impact so that when you walk into the studio you can’t help but be impressed. Medium format digital will do this. “I also visited an Andy Warhol exhibition in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and was really impressed by his large square prints. Why not bring back the square format for wedding photography as well? All I have to do is drop a mask over the ground glass in the Phase One camera and I can choose to shoot square whenever I wish. “Arguably you can crop a DSLR image square as well, but I love the idea of couples taking home a large art piece, crystal clear and with amazing quality. I don’t see shooting with other cameras as being a negative, rather that medium format is a huge positive, especially if you bring your clients’ attention to the incredible detail and massive dynamic range.” And his clients will notice the difference. “Increasingly I’m finding that my clients have more experience in photography and really understand what quality is all about. Some are camera enthusiasts and it’s surprising how many read photography magazines or photographers’ blogs on the internet. They know what medium format is all about and will appreciate the differences “I must admit I made the decision to go to medium format as an addition to the camera equipment I’m currently shooting with, not necessarily as a replacement, but the more I play with the Phase One P 40+, the more I can see myself using it for everything.” To see more of Jerry’s work, visit his website at www.jerryghionis.com .