Camera to Cloud for Camera Techs | FUJIFILM Exposure Center – USA

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Camera to Cloud for Camera Techs

Nicolas Johnson reveals how Fujifilm’s new integration with Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C) aided him in his role as camera tech on a studio photography project

“My job as a camera tech on set is allowing a seamless process. It’s making sure the photographer can focus on being the photographer,” says Nicolas Johnson, who recently assisted fashion, editorial, and portrait photographer Yolanda Hoskey on her studio project, Flowers.

The project required detailed set design, costume, and makeup, exploring the idea of femininity in the guise of flowers. Such vibrant sets often require large teams – and such busy environments have the potential to be distracting for artists.

“I was primarily assisting Yolanda so she could focus on being the creator in that moment,” Nicolas tells us. “That could be checking focus, monitoring white balance, or making sure color presets are properly situated and working as they should be. Once we began, it was my job to ensure everything stayed on point throughout the rest of the session.”

behind-the-scenes photo of a photographer making a picture in a studio environment

For this project, the team was using Fujifilm’s new integration with Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C). By using FUJIFILM X-H2 paired with FT-XH File Transmitter and an active internet connection, Yolanda’s images were automatically uploaded to the Frame.io platform in real time, directly from her camera.

Not only did C2C create a wireless tether and automatic cloud backup system, but it also made the images instantly accessible to any device with an internet connection. This meant every member of the team could review the photographs immediately – wherever they were located.

“With C2C, you make a photo, it pops up on Frame.io, and you can send the link to anybody. This allows you to share images for immediate review, then once approved, you can send the RAW file directly to a retoucher,” he explains.

Nicolas tells us that the ability to annotate and mark up images in Frame.io without affecting the original file undoubtedly made briefing the retoucher more efficient, in turn saving time in editing.

More holistically, he notes that the C2C process helped reduce overall post-production workload by encouraging prevention, rather than cure.

The set designer, stylists, light technician, and camera tech were all able to view high-resolution images in real time on their own devices, rather than crowded around a monitor. This meant more issues were caught and rectified quickly on set, avoiding potentially lengthy edits in post-production.

“It helped quicken the pace on set and expedite the entire process,” says Nicolas. “Having such a seamless form of communication between all parties brought the creative team together, providing extra protection from the little blemishes you can’t always see on a camera’s LCD screen.”

in-hand view of smartphone screen showing photograph as it is being made

On a more personal level, Nicolas found C2C to be a huge time-saver in his role as camera tech.

As anyone with experience in the role will know, reviewing, selecting, and supplying files to team members off-site can be an arduous process that involves copying, batching, exporting, and annotating multiple times.

When creating in a studio on a professional session with a tethered setup, one could be dealing with hundreds, if not thousands, of files. Organizing so many images in one hit can be mentally taxing – and requires serious digital storage and processing power.

By using C2C to automate much of this process and easily attach notes and markups to the file as you go, it significantly streamlines production schedules and budgets.

“With C2C, it was as easy as hitting a pre-approved toggle, making notes on the file, and sharing the link. It was that simple,” recalls Nicolas. “I appreciated that I was able to cut out a lot of the usual processes.”

As a photographer, filmmaker, and DP in his own right, Nicolas can view C2C from multiple perspectives – and he only sees positives to it being part of his future workflow.

“In the past, I’ve been in situations where I’ve made a photo that looks great on the camera’s LCD screen, but when I view it later on my laptop, I notice a person’s face is a touch out of focus,” he admits.

“Being able to identify things like that in the moment is important, because if I’m less concerned about whether the photos are coming out, I’ll be able to concentrate more on my creative process,” he explains.

Nicolas predicts that C2C will revolutionize the way photographers work and collaborate with their teams.

“It’ll definitely usher in a change to the studio photography process, post-production, and collaborative inclusion,” he says.

“Imagine you’re covering Fashion Week, and someone elsewhere is pulling and editing your photos the minute you’re making them. Your clients could have their selects and finals from one show before you’d even left to go to the next. That’s valuable.”

Over the shoulder shot of tablet screen showing a gallery of images transferred via camera to cloud

Above all else, Nicolas believes it will give him the time and capacity to enhance what he does best. “The biggest benefit C2C will bring is that it will allow me to focus,” he concludes.

“That’s the most important thing as a creative – being able to focus on what you’re doing in that moment. To be present.”

The world’s first native digital stills camera integration for Frame.io Camera to Cloud is now available for FUJIFILM X-H2 and X-H2S via FT-XH File Transmitter and is fully integrated into FUJIFILM GFX100 II.

Learn more about the integration here.

Want to read more? Hear from the photographer on this project, Yolanda Hoskey, who talks about her C2C experience here, or watch C2C in action on set with this exclusive behind-the-scenes video:

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Featured Photographer

Nicolas Johnson

Nicolas Johnson is an artist whose keen eye for visual storytelling has led him to establish himself as a photographer, videographer, director of photography, and editor.
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