Frame.io Camera to Cloud: Studio Photography with Yolanda Hoskey

Photographer Yolanda Hoskey and camera tech Nicolas Johnson discover the benefits of Fujifilm’s new integration with Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C) in a studio photography environment

Studio photography can be fast-paced. You could be sharing the room with an entire team of creatives – set designers, lighting technicians, and stylists – all busy working to make the project a success.

Finding your creative focus among this hustle and bustle can be a difficult task and when you add a tight deadline into the mix, the result can be a highly pressurized environment for a photographer.

To achieve success, it’s important that every member of the creative team is not just focused on their individual job, but also on the broader project. Communication is a key factor – and that’s how Fujifilm’s integration with Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C) is revolutionizing studio photography workflow.

C2C technology enables photographers to wirelessly upload images to Frame.io directly from their Fujifilm camera, as they are being made. The photographs can then be viewed and annotated by every creative team member in real time, on their own device – even if they are off-site.

There are no cables, no crowds of squinting eyes around monitors, all that’s needed is an internet connection and a C2C enabled Fujifilm camera. Learn more about Fujifilm C2C enabled cameras here.

Better On-Set Communication

New York City-based photographer Yolanda Hoskey was one of the first to test C2C in a studio environment, using FUJIFILM X-H2 and FT-XH File Transmitter for her project, Flowers.

This formed part of a group exhibition for a Brooklyn gallery that needed final images printed and supplied within three days.

“The theme behind the exhibition was for different photographers to share stories around what they view their own femininity as. Through that theme, I created the concept of the Flower project – to reimagine femininity through the guise of flowers,” explains Yolanda.

To visualize her concept, she and her team created an intricate set and costumes adorned with real flowers and a flowing material backdrop. While undoubtedly captivating, such detail required constant attention throughout the day to ensure its beauty was maintained.

When creating on a tight deadline, it’s easy to miss small details that could cause delays in post-production, so having C2C technology at her disposal was a huge reassurance for Yolanda.

“That was my first time using C2C, and I realized almost immediately how efficient it was,” she recalls.

“Our hairstylist, makeup artists, and set designer were all logged into Frame.io on their phones,” continues Yolanda. “So, if there were things I didn’t notice initially – maybe a hair out of place or wardrobe looking a little funky – I had three other sets of eyes in the creative department reviewing the images as I’m creating them, able to make those adjustments in real time.”

Yolanda’s camera tech on the day, Nicolas Johnson, agrees: “It helped quicken the pace on set and expedite the entire process,” he says.

“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.”

As a photographer that prefers to get things right in-camera, the extra attention to detail possible with C2C is a welcome addition for Yolanda.

“With C2C, I’m able to catch errors and minor details in real time and adjust while on set, versus seeing something later in post and crying because I have to figure out how to remove clips from the back of somebody’s dress, or light fixtures from the ceiling!” she laughs.

Simplifying the Post-Production Process

For this project, the team was working with a retoucher based off-site in upstate New York, so sharing annotated images as they were being created was a huge advantage.

Nicolas highlights how much quicker and easier it was for him to sort, select, annotate, and share the chosen images.

“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,” explains Nicolas.

“It was as easy as hitting a pre-approved toggle, making notes on the file, and sharing the link. It was simple,” he recalls.

“The big challenge when working on set is time,” adds Yolanda. “Time is always a consideration – even post-production time. Being able to run through the post-production process while you’re in the studio creating the images is so efficient.

“Thanks to C2C, I had already picked my two finals – they just needed editing. So, I wound up sending them off to the gallery the same day!” she reveals.

Commercial Advantages of Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C)

Both Nick and Yolanda highlight the potential commercial advantages of C2C when working with clients in editorial, fashion, product, or other types of commercial photography.

“If I have a client who can’t be on set, the ability for them to tune in to the photo session in real time and make their own notes will make the whole process more efficient,” states Yolanda.

Nicolas agrees: “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.”

While both Yolanda and Nicolas agree that the benefits of C2C are abundant in all genres of photography, one advantage stands out above the rest: it gives photographers the space to concentrate on making great images.

“When I’m on set, I don’t have time to go through every single photo, and C2C speeds up the process, allowing me to give more attention to framing the perfect photo,” says Yolanda.

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

“It’s going to revolutionize the production and post-production process for image making,” resolves Yolanda.

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 firmware update. Click here to learn more about the integration and sign up for updates.