Robb Williamson has always been a visual person, and loved going to the movies for the cinematography. What he has come to love more is capturing that decisive moment that can tell a story, yet remain timeless. For Robb, an image shows a sense of place, while making you excited.

Robb Williamson has worked as a photographer for the past 18 years. He began by training in photojournalism at Louisiana State University. “After I took my first class in photojournalism,” he shared, “I was hooked and threw myself at every job in photography I could get, learning from my mentors, bosses, and colleagues.”
Following graduation, he started dual careers in photojournalism and landscape architecture, later adding a Masters degree from the University of Colorado and continued work with UPI, and Reuters Newspictures. Then he focused on commercial location and advertising work. His images have appeared in numerous publications including Time Magazine, Landscape Architecture, Sports Illustrated, Sierra Magazine, Colorado Architect, Land Development, Landscape Architect & Specifier News, USA Today, The Denver Post, and The Advocate.

“Today I work independently as a commercial & editorial location photographer based out of Denver, Colorado, USA. I travel around the globe for my clients and routinely shoot in Europe, South America, and all over the US. A third of my work is in the Aviation field, and another third is in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Land Development fields, while my remaining time is divided between photography for Industry and manufacturing, and taking Portraits or People on location.”

Robb recently took possession of a new Leaf Aptus-II 10 56 megapixel digital camera back. “I selected the Leaf back for a number of reasons: its great resolution, clarity and detail (from ISO 80 to 400), the quality of files, size of the display screen, ease of seeing overlays of file info and histogram as well as the simplicity of operation.”
He has found that the Leaf Aptus-II 10 back has so much resolution, that it is easy for him to shoot verticals of portraits cropped to that ‘sought after 36x 48mm frame’ as well for magazine covers.

“This Leaf back is very versatile.”

He wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Leaf Aptus-II 10. “It is one of the best backs out there, with a large usable touchscreen, a 20 x 31" file at 300 dpi, and wonderful colors, tones, and sharpness not found in 35mm cameras,” Robb explained, “As a comparison, the Nikon D3x file is 13.5 x 20" at 300 dpi.”

	Click on image to enlarge and zoom

His images are used for everything from web use to collateral material printed for annual reports, branding pieces, and large handouts to clients. Many images are also used as very large display prints in offices and sales centers. These are used to show off architectural projects and to sell a community, high-end real estate or other amenities on a large-scale. Robb’s aviation clients use his large printed images for waiting rooms at airports, conference rooms and for convention booth displays. “Nothing says thank you from the photographer more than a gift of a large signed print of your (and their) favorite image from the work you just completed. I have an Epson 9880 and enjoy printing really big - 24 x 36", 40 x 60" and even longer panoramic pieces. It's the best way for me to experience images and show off my work.”
For equipment, Robb mounts his camera back on a Contax 645. “The Zeiss glass really gets the most out of the back. My favorite lenses are the 35, 55, 80, 140 and the Hasselblad 110mm f 2.0 FE lens with an adapter. I am saving up for the 120 macro because it is one of the best lenses made.”

He also likes the Cambo Wide RS, a very small and light platform, with extremely sharp lenses with movements and tilts as well. The Leaf Aptus-II 10's aspect ratio of 56mm x 36mm means that he can stitch two frames horizontally to come up with ‘that magical 6x17 proportion’ and exhibit detail that has not been seen, even from his previous Fuji's or Linhof's with film. “These are exciting times for having this new tool in your kit.”
Since Robb’s work is mostly based outdoors, he was impressed with the Leaf back's ability to show great detail and tone all the way from highlights to shadows. The color is very neutral and requires very little adjustment to match what was seen through the lens. “My life is easier in post-processing because of this and I can spend my time on other aspects of photography. More shooting and less processing.”

From Robb’s experience, the Leaf Aptus-II10 back shoots very quickly - even with the large file size. “It is ready to go like clockwork - one frame every second, while other backs were slower and I had to wait. So I even feel comfortable using the camera like a 35mm setup but with huge resolution. I can rely on the screen to make good decisions during the shoot.”

About Robb Williamson
Robb Williamson is a Denver-based commercial and editorial location photographer specializing in aviation, architecture & design, industry, panoramics and environmental portraits.

Robb is known for his skill as a story teller with a series of images and is particularly helpful with award submittals and annual reports.

His work has appeared in numerous publications including Time Magazine, Landscape Architecture, Sports Illustrated, Sierra Magazine, Colorado Architect, Land Development, Landscape Architect & Specifier News, USA Today, The Denver Post, and The Advocate.

Commercial and Advertising clients have included: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, StandardAero, Landmark Aviation, National Business Aviation Association, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Boeing, Denver Jet Center, TAC Air, National Air Transportation Association, NextFlight, The City of Aspen, Valley Crest Land Development, CoCal, Urban Farmer, Land Tech, DTJ Design, DHM Design, Norris Design, Wenk Associates, Lifescape, MESA Design Group, Winona Lighting, Freeman, Gensler, General Growth Properties, CARMA, Collaborate, Burns Marketing Communications, Miles Real Estate Brand Development, Victory Advertising, Lorem Ispsum, Locke Marketing, Jayman Homes, Shea Homes, Terrabrook, Castle Rock Development, and McWhinney.
His work can be seen at http://www.williamsonimages.com