What Was I Thinking?

The End of Days

2009-11-02T11:52:00.001-05:00

©Kevin DeMaria

Last year we moved to Atlanta for Sandi to start her new faculty position at SCAD-Atlanta. It was like we moved just in time for the end of days. Lehman Bros failed on her very first day of work. This year Conde Nast pulled the plug on Gourmet. Here's a very powerful visual account of The Last Days of Gourmet by Gourmet Art Director, Kevin DeMaria.

AsukaBook- How About This Business Model?

2009-10-30T14:24:00.000-04:00

I was just researching the book publishing sites out there after speaking to fellow Nat Geo Adventure Photographer Andrew Kornylak. Andrew loves AsukaBook. I went to their site and, of course you have to register first, to get information. But what stuck me as odd was the check box to certify that you are a professional. Then the follow up email they send mentions waiting two days for approval to use their services. Who limits access to their customers? Who waits for anything anymore in the digital age?

Here's their explanation:

An email approving your registration request or requesting further information will be sent to you within 2 business days.

As mentioned on the Registration page, AsukaBook products are available to professional photographers and designers creating books for resale or promotions. To protect the integrity and confidentiality of our registered customers, we do not disclose our prices to the general public, as well as ordering capability. For this reason, verifying professional status is imperative. We may request further information from you such as business web site, membership of professional photography associations, and/or sample images. Your cooperation with this process is most obliged.

It made me recall conversations with my Kodak Pro Rep years ago in which I used to kid them that they needed to limit to whom they sold "pro" film. Those guys taking "pro" film and cross processing it were giving Kodak a bad name.

Which gets me to thinking that maybe there's room for a flickr style site that limits who can upload. Maybe a little exclusivity (or censorship?) would go a long way. Just a thought.

Roy DeCarava

2009-10-30T10:15:00.001-04:00

Ketchup Bottles, Table and Coat, 1952 ©Roy DeCarava

Roy DeCarava passed away this week. One of the great photographers of the last century. NYTimes obit here. Multimedia on NYT Lens Blog here

We Demand Vincent Laforet's "Nocturne" Emission

2009-10-28T10:59:00.001-04:00

Apologies for the wordplay - it was one of those silly health class phrases - I guess I haven't evolved much from my high school days.

Just wanted to direct your attention to the newest Canon still camera. Just after midnight last week Vincent Laforet posted his newest project that showcased the video capabilities of Canon's new 1D Mark4.

Earlier in the day the creator of the smash hit video "Reverie" had posted a note to be sure to tune in just after midnight EST for a mind-numbing blog entry. What could it be this time? Could Canon have built a nuclear fusion reactor? Well it turned out to be the EOS 1D MKIV and it's amazing low light capabilities as showcased in Laforet's newest film entitled "Nocturne." The new camera has a new sensor so sensitive to light that it can probe the unlit areas of our night-time imaginations (where no video camera has probed before.) The 1D MKIV does ISO 12,800. Remember Acufine? That's like pushing tri-x 5 stops!

Here's an excerpt from Mr Laforet's blog that night.

Just a little over two weeks ago my jaw dropped even harder when I took a prototype of the Canon 1D MKIV outdoors to test it at night. I was on the road, it was late and I had just rushed back to my hotel to get to the unit. I was expecting a 1D body, with 24p, a 1.3 crop factor sensor, 10 fps for stills, a new AF system - 60 fps at 720p - and of course 1080p video.

Nothing prepared me for what happened next.

I set the ASA to high - and I pointed it towards an area lit by a single flood light. The image was overexposed by 4-5 stops. I then started to play with the settings, pointing my light into an area in complete shadow (my eye saw nothing but black) but on the rear of the LCD I saw sharp, green leaves as crystal clear as if it were shot in daylight.

I think it’s safe to say that every single filmmaker and photographer has always dreamed of cameras that can see what our naked eyes can see. This time these cameras can actually see more. Sure - they may not have the dynamic ranges of our eyes just yet - but they see more than my naked eyes can see in low light.

Period.

And that’s qualifies as a paradigm shift in my book.

It was late and I had had a big day and decided to watch it later - and then when I came back to watch I found this: Canon has requested that we take down “Nocturne.”. WTF? C'mon Canon, we demand our nocturnal emission back.

Great Radio: Hookworms+Asthma

2009-10-26T09:45:00.001-04:00

great radio going on over at WNYC's- RadioLab (thank's Seth)

Listen Here or find it on iTunes (easier to download and listen in the car)

Go See. I'll Say It Again: Really Go. (If you happen to be in Georgia.)

2009-10-06T13:38:00.003-04:00

Sharon Core's "Early American" Exhibition at SCAD-Atlanta's Trois Gallery - it's not clear in their materials but I believe there is an opening reception and artist talk - Thursday 10/8 at 6PM
Show Runs Oct. 2-Nov. 25

Trois Gallery, 1600 Peachtree St., Atlanta, Ga.
The exhibitions department presents "Early American," a series of still life photographs by artist Sharon Core based on the paintings of early 19th-century still life painter Raphaelle Peale. In her work, Core engages the concept of illusionism central to the genre of still life and upends the notion of trompe l'oeil by attempting to create a photograph that appears to be a painting. This exhibition is free and open to the public. For more on Sharon's work see my blog here

******

William Christenberry: Photographs, 1961–2005

at The Morris Meseum of Art, Macon Georgia. September 12–November 8, 2009. Not everything is in Atlanta, so jump in the car and head South to Macon. We missed Mr Christenberry's gallery talk last month. Sadly, we just forgot to put it on our calendar.

******

©Tierney Gearon

Tierney Gearon. It's ACP time (Atlanta Celebrates Photography) (another festival, lord knows Atlanta loves a festival and every other day there's a new photography-related festival popping up) and Tierney Gearon is in town at the end of the month speaking about her work. If you don't know her images, you should. Netflix her documentary "The Mother Project" and go see her talk at The High Museum of Art Thu, Oct 29, 7pm - 9pm FREE!

As part of Atlanta Celebrates Photography’s annual lecture series, The High Museum presents a lecture by acclaimed, native Atlantan photographer, Tierney Gearon, in The Hill Auditorium on Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 PM. Tierney’s lecture will encompass the entire span of her career as a photographer - beginning with her first portraits of her family, her early commercial work as a fashion photographer in Europe, her discovery by Charles Saatchi, subsequent shows at The Gagosian Gallery, The Mother Project, and her newest series, EXPLOSURE.

******

Check back here regularly as I'll hopefully add other directives as we move through the month.

Also NOTE: all images above are found freely and easily on the web and while used without permission here, I'm sure the images are copyright protected and rights remain with their respective owners...

MacArthur Fellows

2009-09-24T13:13:00.000-04:00

Very interesting to look over the entire list of MacArthur Fellows. What list of grant winners could include Cindy Sherman, Sam Mockbee, David Foster Wallace, and Nora England (Ms. England is my all-time favorite anthropological linguist) And congratulations to ornithologist Rick Prum for receiving a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship this year. I met Rick and his documentary cinematographer wife Anne Johnson Prum in a very long dugout canoe on the Rio Aquarico in eastern Ecuador in 1991. They had even more gear than me.

Another interesting tidbit about the list is to see that photographer Lynsey Adario isn't listed with the photographers, but instead with the journalists. I wonder if that's her choice or that of the selection committee.

2009-09-14T01:00:00.002-04:00

Rufus, Tintype, 2009 ©Russell Kaye & Sandra-Lee Phipps

Fire Roundup

2009-09-09T14:28:00.008-04:00

Seal River, Manitoba, 1994 ©Russell Kaye

A couple of thoughts today about fire and it's power and beauty and also the heroes that attempt to extinguish them. I'm not sure why this all came up today except that I was thinking about these images when fellow photographer Eric Ellis of SimplePhoto sent out a link to photos of the wildfires that are burning out in California. I also ran into friends Suellen and Allison and Allison's band Super Hooligan is playing a benefit remembrance/tribute to the firepeople for the upcoming 9/11 anniversary. And finally, I've been fascinated by David Grann's New Yorker story last week about Todd Willingham and Fire. Willingham was on death row in Texas for the arosn/murder of his three infant children - the fire forensics science that Grann recounts are fascinating and have proven that Texas put an innocent man to death. Here's the links:

David Grann on Todd Willingham
Super Holligan at Masquerade for Fuel the Fire 9/11 Show
Eric's Link to California Fire Images

And finally another couple of fire images from my library...

Seal River, Manitoba, 1994 ©Russell Kaye

Congratulation to This Old House

2009-09-04T15:35:00.003-04:00

Congratulations are in order to the folks over at This Old House. They have won their 17th emmy. It was a long dry spell for the celebrity carpenters (First in Eleven years) but you have to take your hat off to the show that started the DIY pimp your crib genre of tv. I worked on the set covering the show for This Old House Magazine for four years (2004-2007) and you never will meet a more friendly and down to earth bunch of guys and girl (Deb Hood, Producer is pretty nice too) working in tv.

note: the emmy was for their series that worked on a house in New Orleans after Katrina. I may have to go digitize some of the images I made in New Orleans on an assignment for TOH the first Summer after Katrina. Stay tuned.

A Gentle Reminder From the NYTimes

2009-09-02T10:01:00.006-04:00

I wonder what caused the New York Times to send out this email yesterday:

TO: ALL FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHERS

This is a reminder of The Times's policies on digital manipulation or other alteration of photos.

As you know, under the contract you signed for The Times, you warrant that any photo submitted for publication "will be original and unaltered (unless it is a photo illustration, pre-approved by your editor and fully disclosed in caption information materials)."

The Times takes this obligation very seriously; the integrity of photographs and other material we publish goes to the heart of our credibility as a news organization. The prohibition on unauthorized alteration of photos applies to all sections of the paper, the Magazine and the Web site.

This passage from the newsroom's "Guidelines on Our Integrity" explains our rules in more detail:

Photography and Images. Images in our pages, in the paper or on the Web, that purport to depict reality must be genuine in every way. No people or objects may be added, rearranged, reversed, distorted or removed from a scene (except for the recognized practice of cropping to omit extraneous outer portions). Adjustments of color or gray scale should be limited to those minimally necessary for clear and accurate reproduction, analogous to the "burning" and "dodging" that formerly took place in darkroom processing of images. Pictures of news situations must not be posed.

In some sections, and in magazines, where a photograph is used to serve the same purposes as a commissioned drawing or painting - as an illustration of an idea or situation or as a demonstration of how a device works, etc. - it must always be clearly labeled as a photo illustration. This does not apply to portraits or still-lifes (photos of food, shoes, etc.), but it does apply to other kinds of shots in which we have artificially arranged people or things, as well as to collages, montages, and photographs that have been digitally altered.

If you have any questions about what is permissible under the rules, please consult the assigning editor.

Sincerely,

William E. Schmidt
Deputy Managing Editor
The New York Times Newspaper
Division of The New York Times Company

If anyone has any ideas please leave comments here or here.

The 7D

2009-09-01T12:43:00.002-04:00

at $1699 and with 24P - I'm waiting for the 11D - That's the one where Canon pays you to use it.

The Link

Massacre of Fact: Sebastian Rich at Gallery Stock

2009-08-28T02:21:00.003-04:00

Above is ©Sebastian Rich

Amazingly well-written and angry and true by photographer Sebastian Rich. Please read this about working in Croatia: Massacre of Fact

Can't you see a couple of goats up there?

2009-08-19T11:12:00.009-04:00

Click to enlarge ©Russell Kaye

The thing I really miss about our past life in Maine was renovating our 1850 Farmhouse. I hadn't really thought much about houses and building since moving to Georgia. But that ended yesterday. I attended the opening of the new Southface Eco Office Building. Call me a gear queer but the garden on the roof that also serves as a rainwater catchment for all the buildings gray water got me wanting to buy a little piece of land and get building again.

Can't you see a sod roof and a couple of goats up there? And a homemade chevre with a crisp rose´?

*Those pavers in the garden above were recycled from that spongy surface you see especially in urban playgrounds. Nicely repurposed, I'd say.

Michael Pollan Explores Why We Watch Cooking Shows

2009-08-02T09:04:00.003-04:00

Untitled, From the Road, North Carolina, 2009 ©Russell Kaye

Needless to say, I am fascinated by the concept of food and our culture. Today's Sunday Times has the newest installment of the Pollan Chronicles. This time he explores Julia Child and the birth of the cooking show as well as the success of the Food Network.

My favorite quote of Pollan's from todays story has to be the following:

"Food shows are the campfires in the deep cable forest, drawing us like hungry wanderers to their flames."

Read the whole story here on the NY Times.

Abel Raises Cain Before Bruno

2009-07-07T13:58:00.009-04:00

still from Abel Raises Cain ©Jenny Abel & Jeff Hockett

With all the brew ha over Bruno, I got to thinking about the mockumentary and remembered seeing Abel Raises Cain at the Camden International Film Festival in 2005. One of my favorites was Abel Raises Cain about Alan Abel. It's a documentary made by his daughter Jenny Abel with Jeff Hockett. Alan was the prankster behind SINA (Society for Indecency to Naked Animals) as well as the 2000 campaign to ban all breastfeeding. One of my favorites was the hoax that purported the nutritiousness of human hair on a New York tv talk show (to which Jenny Abel, as a child, accompanied her father on tv but refused to eat her hair sandwich.)

Alan Abel was way ahead of Ali G and, in fact, made a couple of mock documentaries himself. I'm trying to get a copy of his 1971 Is There Sex After Death? for the upcoming 2009 Decatur Film Festival.

He's still the only person for whom the New York Times ever had to retract an obituary.

Is Anyone Listening?

2009-07-06T14:49:00.006-04:00

From last weeks New Yorker. A profile of James Hansen by Elizabeth Kolbert. He's the go-to scientist that created one of the first models to study climate change. For thirty years he's studied our climate. For thirty years his models have been very accurate. For thirty years no one has really heard his message. Below is a excerpt with a letter he wrote to Mr and Mrs Obama in Dec '08.

Today's New York Times

2009-07-03T08:10:00.002-04:00

and slideshow here

Archive Ad vol 1 no 1

2009-06-29T01:11:00.005-04:00

Archive Ad vol. 1 no. 1

Michael Pollan on Bill Maher

2009-05-31T20:11:00.000-04:00

Free Pie Atlanta May 16th 2009

2009-05-08T12:28:00.005-04:00

Remember my post about Project M and buyameter.org last year?

Well Project M has started a side project called Pie Lab and is "doing" it in Atlanta next weekend May 16th. They have a couple of websites Pie-Lab and Free Pie but briefly, here's some background:

On 3/14/2009 (Pi day) at 1:59 pm, a group of young graphic designers from all over the country, gathered in Belfast Maine and gave away free pie. They shared stories and laughter and united groups of all kinds, all while savoring slices from 35 different pies. Their message was unassuming and honest: Sometimes life is bad; free pie isn’t. The Free Pie Movement is founded on the idea that simple gestures, like giving away free pie, can unite communities and spread joy. Sweet or savory, fruit-filling or custard, graham crust or pastry, pie is a delicious provender enjoyed by all.

So make a pie and join them and Spread the Word.

Housing Works Photo Auction

2009-05-06T08:59:00.006-04:00

Whenever I'm asked, I donate work to good causes to be auctioned at fund aisers. From the PTA fundraiser at my kids schools to the recent Leave Out Violence Fundraiser, it's a great way to help out and have your work seen and appreciated.

Which brings me to the reason for my post today. Here's a great cause to support with your love of photography: The Housing Works Design-on-a-Dime event tomorrow night in NYC. Here's a sample (from Cig Harvey) of the work that will be on sale:

What: Housing Works Fifth-Annual Design on a Dime silent photo auction, featuring over 40 photographs from top fashion, celebrity and fine-art photographers.

Who: Work by more than 40 photographers including Pamela Hanson, Alistair Taylor Young, Hank Willis Thomas, Todd Selby, Eric McNatt, Neal Slavin, Ingvar Kenne and more

Where: Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St between 6th and 7th Aves.

When: Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 6pm to 9pm

Tickets: Tickets include access to the opening night Design on a Dime party, featuring cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and incredible preview shopping of 50 room vignettes by top interior designers. Tickets start at $150. To purchase tickets, visit www.housingworks.org/dime or 212-645-8111 ×164

BENEFITS: Housing Works’ lifesaving services for homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS

Last Gorilla of the Congo

2009-05-05T09:25:00.004-04:00

©Brett Sirton

One of the most memorable editorial moments last year was seeing Brett Striton's Who Murdered the Virunga Gorillas? in National Geographic. He's won numerous awards for this photography and now has a show at Fovea Gallery (a great little niche gallery in Beacon, NY - they only show photojournalism.) Also check out Striton's new projects at http://www.brentstirton.com

see the virtual exhibition here

Send A Salami to Your Boy in the Army (pronounced Ahh-me)

2009-04-27T13:54:00.003-04:00

The Selby visits Michael and Thomas

2009-03-27T01:47:00.002-04:00

Todd Selby has a blog called The Selby. It features photographs, paintings and videos by Todd Selby of interesting people in creative spaces...It's kind of homemade but I think very well done and insightful. He recently visited Michael Stipe and Thomas Dozol. Take a look!