New Lightroom 3 is out now.
New Lightroom 3 is out now, and I got it on day 1.
Blog
Astronomy!
I don’t know much about astronomy or even astronomical photography. But I know what I like, and I like the APOD site. I think you will too. It’s the Astronomy Picture Of the Day web site, and every day they upload a great photography from somewhere out there in the surprisingly beautiful universe, along with a description for us laymen written by a professional astronomer. One of my most recent favorites is an image of a silhouetted Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station transiting the sun. It’s a phenomenal moment of objects we know by heart, yet still shown in a manner we’ve never seen before. I highly recommend adding the APOD site to your daily blogroll. You might even learn a little about astronomy along the way.
Lynn Goldsmith at work
I’m currently working on a story with photographer Lynn Goldsmith. You may be most familiar with Lynn’s history as a rock ‘n roll photographer, but for the better part of a decade she’s been working on an elaborate self portrait project. You’ll have to wait for the printed page to read my interview with Lynn, but until then you can watch her work. Her partner in photography, camera maker Mamiya, has uploaded a series of behind the scenes videos that show her making portraits of musicians, celebrities and regular people too. It’s interesting and educational to watch her work, and she’s a heck of a nice lady—which comes through when you watch her on video.
Jim Richardson’s Notes From the Field
I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to spend great portions of my time interviewing and interacting with some of the most talented photographers around. I’m consistently awed and inspired by their work and their stories, and I’m frequently impressed by how nice and down to earth these masters truly are. One photographer still stands as one of my favorite people too, and that’s National Geographic’s Jim Richardson. Not only does Jim manage to consistently create stunning storytelling images, he manages to put a smile on your face too. I even get that sense from looking at his work, which you can do at National Geographic’s web site. Better still, you can get photography tips directly from the master’s mouth in his Notes and Tips From the Field. Inspiring images, phenomenal advice, and just a really great guy. What more could you ask for in a photographer?
photography.nationalgeographic.com
A real photographic use for the iPad
I first considered the practical uses of the Epson P series of digital backup devices a few years ago when I interviewed photographer Frans Lanting. He told me about taking the devices into the field when he shoots in exotic places; they are the perfect surrogate for a laptop where a laptop wouldn’t be practical. Lanting, and many photographers like him, shoot their gigs of data and then download it onto an Epson multimedia viewer to free CF card space and view shots on the built-in LCD screen. When they’re back in the world, they transfer the images from the viewer (the P-7000, for instance, has a 160GB capacity) to the computer and resume their normal workflow. But now there’s a new catch in that method: the iPad.
The iPad is a multimedia viewer of its own sort. An entirely different form factor and, as of now, still not available at the price and capacity of the Epson series of devices, but certainly this is something photographers can consider as a temporary holding tank when working far afield. The interesting thing about the device is the plethora of additional uses for the thing when it’s not being a photographic storage system. The presumed eventual popularity of the thing might make it an ideal interim archive, especially if we’re all carrying them already. But that’s all speculation at this point. After all, as currently priced and spec’d you be much better served by an Epson P-7000 in purely photo storage terms. Still, it’s interesting to see how photographers adapt to new technologies, and how new technologies adapt to photographers. Read up on the idea, including the comments of many photographers dealing directly with the issue, on Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider blog.
scottkelby.com
Phase One & Expression Media
In case you didn’t catch it, Phase One (makers of Phase One digital cameras and the increasingly popular Capture One image processing software) has purchased Expression Media (digital asset management and database software used by folks who have a whole lot of images to organize). This is good news for users of both programs, because owners of one can upgrade to the other for free. For a month, Phase One is offering a free copy of Capture One to Expression Media users, and a free copy of Expression Media to Capture One users. I’m anticipating a whole new uber-player in the processing/browsing/management arena. Only time will tell…
The Power of Graphic Simplicity
Over on Tamron’s Angle of View blog, photographer Andre Costantini just published a few great photographs that illustrate one of my favorite photographic concepts: graphic simplicity. Andre had the opportunity to shoot the Golden Gate Bridge from a unique position, and so he utilized his zoom lens across its wide focal range to find the compositions that worked best to showcase the subject—and to do so with the utmost graphic simplicity. It’s no mind-blowing revelation, but sometimes we do forget: less is often more. It’s frequently better to compose with fewer and simpler elements in the frame rather than to try to tell a whole complex story amid a muddled composition. Thanks, Andre, for the simple reminder about simplicity.
Photograph by Andre Costantini
Photo and/or Video
I’m conflicted about us still photographers moving into the world of shooting video. On one hand, I don’t necessarily believe that just because my camera is equipped for some new capture methodology means that I have the skills to do it well. On the other hand, the creative and inquisitive parts of me are intrigued by the idea of exploring the possibilities. Well all of this theoretical consideration finally became a reality as I had the opportunity to work on a multimedia project shot entirely with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II. My focus was a modified photo essay augmented by natural sound, video and personal interviews. I learned a lot working on it, not the least of which was that I needed to spend more time on the photography, and even more time focusing on the kinds of images that would tell the story best. In the end, I used up the better part of a week learning video editing, but it was a very rewarding challenge. Shooting for a multimedia piece involves a whole different mindset than shooting just stills, and I think simply exercising a different part of your mind has to be a good thing. I’m still not convinced that all photographers can shoot video any more than all videographers can shoot stills, but I’m a little more willing to explore all of the options available to me. And—who am I kidding—I’m kind of excited about that. Check out the results at Vimeo.com.
Take bad pictures, get sued. Yikes!
I’m not exactly a TV addict, but I’ve seen my fair share of awful programming—and enjoyed most of it. Judge Joe Brown recently redeemed the daytime TV judge profession by showing off his skills as an amateur photographer and making for some entertaining watching along the way. A woman found herself in his “courtroom” being sued for making bad wedding photos. The result is especially entertaining for photographers when the judge talks in detail about the cameras, lenses and apertures being used. But the question does arise: if you’re not really a wedding photographer and you take an assignment to photograph a wedding, are you liable for the sub-par results? Or perhaps it’s the begrudged bride who is responsible for hiring someone who clearly doesn’t know what she’s doing. There’s a lesson here, both for brides and wedding photographers, as well as for budding professionals and clients on a budget everywhere. Maybe that lesson is as simple as, “you get what you pay for.” Or perhaps the lesson is don’t agree to get sued on TV. Whatever the takeaway, it sure is fun to watch the disaster unfold.
slrlounge.com
Anything’s Possible with Photoshop
People always ask when I make portraits of them, “Can you Photoshop me to make me look great?” They’re usually somewhat tongue-in-cheek requests, but the answer is yes, I can make you look great. (And depending on my mood, I might add that anything is possible if you’ve got enough budget!) Well if you’re ever wondering about exactly what is possible with Photoshop in terms of retouching and beautifying, check out these examples from the Society of Publication Designers. My favorite is the simple fake advertisement for Photoshop Day Cream, but the others (in video form) will blow you away when you see what’s possible with a few mouse clicks. And remember, as I tend to remind people when they exclaim how amazing Photoshop is, yes the program is truly amazing but it’s the skilled hands of the photographer/retoucher who is really doing the work. So check out these videos and see that anything truly is possible.
Happy Memorial Day
Happy Memorial Day, and thank you to all who have served our great nation. The Boston Globe’s Big Picture photoblog always serves up an interesting gallery, and I suggest this Memorial Day you look at a series of images from the Vietnam War posted at the Big Picture earlier this month to commemorate the fall of Saigon and the end of the war. boston.com AP Photograph by Henri Huet
Zeiss Glass Finder
Are you a die-hard Carl Zeiss lens lover, or maybe you’re someone who’s interested in finding out what the Zeiss buzz is all about? In the old days that probably meant you shot with a Leica, Contax or Hasselblad film camera, but these days photographers have lots of great Zeiss options for Canons and Nikons and many more digital cameras as well. The point is, practically any camera user can work with Zeiss glass. So what if you want to know how a certain Zeiss lens performs, or what other photographers are doing with particular glass, or just what the differences are between two focal lengths when used on a similar scene? Thankfully you’re living in the future, because now you can head over to ZeissImages.com and browse the sites photographs by a particular lens model. Perhaps you’re considering the purchase of a Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/1.4. Click on the lens and see how it performs in real life pictures uploaded by other Zeiss shooters. It’s a great resource, and an example of photographers with a passion for Zeiss lenses helping each other—as well as other photographers who are considering the purchase of a Zeiss lens. It’s homespun resources like this that represent so much of what’s great about being a photographer in the Internet era.
