Process & Proof

Help a Broke Artist Win a Copy of Photshop CS3!

2007-07-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Behind the Scenes

2007-06-19T17:23:00.001-07:00

I've been seeing a lot more video featurettes of behind-the-scenes for photoshoots. Here's a great one from a recent NY Times Magazine Cover Shoot.

Kids + Money

2007-06-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Award-winning photographer Lauren Greenfield teamed up with the NY Times to produce a short documentary on kids (in LA) with money, those without, and the difference between. It's a compelling piece.

The Mentor & The Muse

2007-06-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing Eloquent Nude at the San Francisco MoMA. The movie focuses on Charis Wilson, Edward Weston’s longtime model and wife of several years. The documentary takes a brave step in using reenactments of various points in the relationship and lives of Edward and Charis. Luckily, the scenes are well done and lend an authentic charm without detracting from the film. The director chose to focus on specific episodes in the relationship while presenting a fairly chronological timeline of their entire relationship and time together, with interviews of Charis sprinkled throughout. At times however, the film lagged a little bit with, what I felt, as an over use of dead space. Overall, the film was a fascinating portrait of the woman who appears in many of Edwards’ remarkable nudes and of the relationship of the two, portrayed in a tasteful and respectful manner.

The highlight of the evening, was that Charis herself, now 93, was in attendance, and joined the director, Ian McCluskey, onstage for a Q&A session after the movie. She commented that Edward never directed or posed her, and that he was always silent behind the camera, save for when he would say ‘hold it” when he saw a pose he liked, which I found interesting. She was delightful and entertaining, and I had the chance to ask her a question, which was the last one of the night. Since the movie referenced her capacity to maintain a deep reservoir of dirty limericks, I asked her what her favorite one was. She recited one, (which I won’t repeat here) to tremendous applause afterward.

I’ve been reading Ben Maddow’s Biography of Weston recently, and the Daybooks as well, and felt privileged to hear the woman in so many of his amazing, iconic images talk about her experiences. I’m taking a workshop with Kim Weston this fall, and staying in the Bodie House that Weston built, and I hope to be bringing you daily blogs from Carmel.

Mamiya Launches 22MP 645 System Under 10k

2007-06-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Mamiya announced a new 22 megapixel digital camera system that is expected to retail for $9,999. The system consists a Mamiya 645AFD II Medium Format Camera, the new Mamiya ZD 22MP digital back, and an 80mm f/2.8 AF lens. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom will be included in the system. Mamiya also introduced two new lenses, the Mamiya Sekor AF 75-150mm f/4.5 D and a full-frame 28mm f/4.5 D Aspherical.

Canon's 50mp CMOS Sensor Prototype

2007-06-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

If ISO was making you forget about megapixels, check out Canon's new 50 mp CMOS sensor. 4x6 prints at 1,333 px?!

Microsoft Launches 'Surface'

2007-05-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Microsoft launched a multitouch surface computing device today at All Things Digital called Surface. It's a 30-inch tabletop display where users can grab and move information and objects with their hands. It's intended initially for commercial use such as bars and restaurants. (given it's $5k - 10k price tag). There's a demo video online where you can see it in action. Jeff Han from Popular Mechanics also has a behind the scenes video of Surface with commentary:

Gattis took out a digital camera and placed it on the Surface. Instantly, digital pictures spilled out onto the tabletop. As Gattis touched and dragged each picture, it followed his fingers around the screen. Using two fingers, he pulled the corners of a photo and stretched it to a new size. Then, Gattis put a cellphone on the surface and dragged several photos to it — just like that, the pictures uploaded to the phone. It was like a magic trick. He was dragging and dropping virtual content to physical objects. I'm not often surprised by new technology, but I can honestly say I'd never seen anything like it.

Microsoft is calling it the beginning of a new technology category, but they're not the first to develop a product using surface computing. Bjork is currently on tour with a device that manipulates sound by how objects are placed on it. It's called the Reactable and there are demo videos online at YouTube.

While they demonstrate Surface by placing a digital camera on it, then manipulating the images, I can't help but wonder how this could be used in the pro photo world. it seems like more visual candy, then practical application as far as that is concerned. Of course, perhaps it's a great display to transfer images so clients can see as they are shot in the studio, instead of looking at the laptop, or perhaps it would make a good light table, to organize and arrange selects from a shoot. However, unless this is integrated into a DAM workflow, it seems like mor of a product geared for the person at home who wants a simple way to manage their photo albums.

Eloquent Nude

2007-05-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

Eloquent Nude: The Love and Legacy of Edward Weston and Charis Wilson, a film directed by Ian McCluskey in 2006, screens this Thursday, May 31, (7pm) at the San Francisco MoMA. The film focuses on Charis, Weston's long-time muse & wife. McCluskey will hold a Q&A after the screening. Tickets are only $7 ($5 for MoMa members) but they are going quick. I was just over to pick up a couple tickets and they only had about 25 left (notice how I posted this after I bought my own tickets...).

Also of Note: Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light (American Masters, 1996), plays daily (except Wednesday) at 2:30pm through the 8th of June also at SF MoMA (at the Koret Visitor Education Center)

Bound For Glory

2007-05-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Library of Congress has an interesting online exhibit up on their website, called Bound for Glory, America in Color, 1939-1943. It's a candid glimpse into the past with photographs from Russel Lee, Jack Delano, Marion Post Wolcott, John Vachon, Arthur Rothstein, John Collier, Louise Rosskam, Fenno Jacobs, Arthur Siegel and Alfred T. Palmer.

Running the Numbers

2007-05-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Seattle photographer Chris Jordan is working on a new series of amazing images that are a blend of American consumption & statistics. His current project

visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs.

Running The Numbers will open June 14th at Von Lintel Gallery, NY.

The Furor Over Flickr

2007-05-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not been following the story, here’s a quick recap:

Amateur Photographer Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir began posting images on Flickr a few years ago and over that time has gained a large following and fan base for her compelling work. Her images even sparked the interest of Toyota, who approached the single mother of two from Iceland and asked her to shoot an ad campaign for the Prius. Rebekka's Flickr Photo Page. Strobist has a great four part series that begins with Rebekka's story.

While Flickr is quickly becoming an opportunity for photographers to share their work, network, promote themselves and even sell their work, it has also become a fertile trolling ground for ad agencies and creatives to cast their nets looking for stock images and/or new talent. Yet, like with any feeding ground, inevitably, sharks are drawn by the smell of food.

Recently, Rebekka discovered that UK company Only Dreemin had stolen 8 of her images and were selling them online (for which she has still not been paid). Unhappy about the theft, she posted an image on Flickr, and raised her grievance over the issue. When she had more than 450 comments on the post, Flickr deleted the photo and all the comments of support on the thread. Flickr, according to Rebekka, also threatened to cancel her account. This drew the ire of many a Flickr user, and Flickr eventually apologized and recanted. The BBC has a comprehensive account here.

Even though Flickr clearly states that photos cannot be used without the permission of the owner (Flickr is billed as a ‘photo-sharing’ site, not a stock photo agency), that hasn’t stopped companies like Only Dreemin from stealing work and making a profit. The issue of copyright is hard to enforce on Flickr, which has an uncannily easy ability to download high-quality, hi-res images.

The Licensing Awareness Working (LAW) Group has formed on Flickr to address and bring to light the various copyright issues that seem to be arising more often. The group is described as

a collection of amateur and professional photographers on Flickr who are concerned about the fair and legal use of our creative work. We encourage awareness about copyright and creative commons. We are not here to police Flickr or the Internet -- just to bring awareness to this important issue.

Furthermore, Creative Commons has developed a set of licenses that creators can add to their work, depending on the level of rights they wish to maintain, and tag each work with the appropriate licenses.

There will always be sharks in the water unfortunately, but a more pressing question is how Flickr will respond to the community and creative climate as it evolves.