• Race, Diversity, Photography: Online Symposium

    Source Why? There have been two prevailing attitudes toward the proposed conference/symposium dealing with issues of race and diversity in photography: a) That it is absolutely necessary & b) I…

    via Prison Photography: http://prisonphotography.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/race-diversity-photography-online-symposium/

    There have been two prevailing attitudes toward the proposed conference/symposium dealing with issues of race and diversity in photography:

    a) That it is absolutely necessary & b) It is a terrifying prospect.


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  • Link: Update, Notes, and answers to technical questions: « Vincent Laforet’s Blog:

    I haven’t done scientific testing.  But basically I’d wager that you can expect a 2 stop improvement in terms of low light performance/image quality with the 1D MKIV relative to the 5D MKII.


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  • ‘You Have Atomic Bombs, but We Have Suicide Bombers.’

    The Taliban fighters who kidnapped David Rohde, a Times reporter, and two Afghans were guided by a strident belief that the United States was waging a war against Islam. The third installment in Mr. Rohde’s account of his captivity.

    Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/world/asia/20hostage.html?_r=2&ref=world&pagewanted=all

    Obeying the guard, I covered my face. The soldier was in the lead vehicle of a Pakistani Army supply convoy in North Waziristan. After surveying the road, the soldier got back in his truck, and the convoy rumbled forward.

    I hoped that the Pakistanis might somehow rescue us. Instead, I watched in dismay as Badruddin got out of the truck and calmly stood on the side of the road. As trucks full of heavily armed government soldiers rolled by, he smiled and waved at them


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    Link: lens culture: Prix Pictet 2009 shortlist:

    Prix Pictet is a yearly £60,000 ($97,000) photography prize awarded for a body of work that focuses on environmental sustainability.This year the theme is ‘earth’. A Mexican garbage dump where people forage to sustain a pitiful existence; the changing landscape and displaced communities of China’s Yangtze River; the devastating impact of oil production in the Niger Delta; and the annual pilgrimage to the desert fronts of the Iran-Iraq war are among the subjects that feature in the work of this year’s shortlisted artists.

    Lens Culture is pleased to provide previews of all twelve outstanding international photographers who are finalists.


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  • The McNally Workflow..

    So this is one of those topics Joe and I are asked about on a very regular basis.  We usually just answer these questions one-by-one, but got an interesting email from one of our readers,

    via Joe McNally’s Blog: http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/2009/10/20/the-mcnally-workflow/

    As a disclaimer, and to cover my ass, I’ll be the first to admit that we as a studio don’t necessarily do things the “right” way.  Are we entirely satisfied with our post-production/archiving process?  Not exactly.  The thing is, any busy photo studio is constantly producing massive amounts of imagery, and keeping up with it all isn’t always a walk in the park.  On top of that, technology is one of those amazing things that we all are challenged to stay on the cutting edge of.  Computer software, hardware, camera gear- it’s all evolving so quickly, that even if you know your best option today, in another week there’s something else out there that’s potentially better.


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  • Link: Canon Eos1DmkIV video – The skinny « DSLR News Shooter:

    I’ve been finding out as much as I can about the video mode on the Canon Eos1DmkIV. Here’s the latest info I’ve received from Canon Europe.


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  • BURN magazine receives Lucie Award

    No cameras allowed at the ceremony, but Kerry Payne managed to sneak out a tiny iPhone pic… Needless to say, we are so very humbled by this award…Photography Magazine of the Year 2009 w…

    via burn magazine: http://www.burnmagazine.org/dialogue/2009/10/burn-magazine-wins-lucie-award/

    No cameras allowed at the ceremony


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  • POV: WTF! This Is My Photo Shoot!

    travel photographer

    Link: http://thetravelphotographer.blogspot.com/2009/10/pov-wtf-this-is-my-photo-shoot.html

    Having arrived at the Chimi Lakhang monastery in Bumthang, I was glad to find two young novices lighting candle lamps, and asked them to pose in a certain way to take advantage of the light coming through the rather grimy window. It took quite a while to have them just right where I wanted, but as I was giving hand signals for minor adjustments in the novices’ stance, a bunch of European tourists had entered the room. Without a glance at my direction, or asking for permission, or even a smile of acknowledgment, out came a motley collection of cameras, ranging from DSLRs to compacts, and a paparazzi frenzy ensued with hundreds of flashes bathing the room in an ethereal light.


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  • Canon announces new wireless controllers

    Canon has announced two new Wireless File Transmitters for the new EOS-1D Mark IV and EOS 5D Mark II digital SLRs. The WFT-E2 II (for the EOS-1D Mark IV) and WFT-E4 II (for the 5D Mark II) allow photographers to transfer image files securely to a computer

    via DPReview: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0910/09102000canonwft-e2.asp

    Having arrived at the Chimi Lakhang monastery in Bumthang, I was glad to find two young novices lighting candle lamps, and asked them to pose in a certain way to take advantage of the light coming through the rather grimy window. It took quite a while to have them just right where I wanted, but as I was giving hand signals for minor adjustments in the novices’ stance, a bunch of European tourists had entered the room. Without a glance at my direction, or asking for permission, or even a smile of acknowledgment, out came a motley collection of cameras, ranging from DSLRs to compacts, and a paparazzi frenzy ensued with hundreds of flashes bathing the room in an ethereal light.


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  • Jane Bown: The Eyes Have It

    From Nixon to the Beatles, Bette Davis to U2… Over the past 60 years, The Observer’s Jane Bown has photographed many of the world’s greatest personalities. On the eve of her retrospective, she talks to Robin McKie about her life’s work

    via the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/oct/18/jane-bown-photographer-retrospective-exposures

    But evidence that you are in the presence of one of the greats of 20th-century photography is notably missing – until you are directed down a hallway to the furthest part of the house, where Jane has ferreted away some of her favourite images. This is the Bown hall of fame: a laughing Mick Jagger, a mini-skirted Cilla Black drinking tea, a happy-looking Gordon Brown and a group of photographs of everyday life in 20th-century Britain. These pictures have their place in her life but it is clear, from their position, that they do not rule it. Friends and family matter above all to Jane, to the extent that most of my day with her last month was dominated by gossip about old colleagues. Her observations were typically sharp and to the point.


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    Link: Canon Intros EOS 1D Mark IV DSLR with HD Shooting, Extreme ISO Capabilities, and Revamped Autofocus System:

    Canon introduced a new flagship digital SLR for sports photography this morning, the 10 frames per second, 16MP EOS 1D Mark IV. The 1D Mark IV will sell for $4,999 body only and ship to U.S. dealers in late December.


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  • Nocturne from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.


    Link: Lights Out, Camera, Action « Vincent Laforet’s Blog:

    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.


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  • 1D Mark IV Press Release

    INTRODUCING THE ULTIMATE MULTIMEDIA IMAGING SOLUTION: THE NEW CANON EOS-1D MARK IV DIGITAL SLR CAMERA The EOS-1D Mark IV Features a Completely Redesigned 45-Po

    via Canon Rumors: http://www.canonrumors.com/2009/10/1d-mark-iv-press-release/

    The EOS-1D Mark IV Features a Completely Redesigned 45-Point Autofocus System, Fast 10 fps Continuous Shooting, 16-Megapixel Resolution, Outstanding ISO Sensitivity, and Full HD Video Recording at Selectable Frame Rates


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  • The Case of the Inappropriate Alarm Clock (Part 2)

    The second installment of an investigation into the matter of the famous depression-era cow-skull photo.

    via Opinionator: http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/the-case-of-the-inappropriate-alarm-clock-part-2/

    Yes. The steer skull was my point of entry. But by the time I got around to the book, I decided I wanted to get past the steer skull very quickly, because that issue had already been debated so much. And yes, Arthur Rothstein moved that skull around, and he admitted as much. And Rothstein, if anything, except for “Fleeing a dust storm,” instead of trying to create his own sense of the world, was a pretty faithful servant of the FSA


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  • Link: U.S. Chamber of Commerce | The Yes Men:

    In a dramatic announcement at the National Press Club today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reversed its position on climate change policy, and promised to immediately cease lobbying against the Kerry-Boxer bill.

    Not.


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  • Link: PDNPulse: Lucie Awards Being Announced Tonight:

    The 7th Annual Lucie Awards for photography are being held tonight in New York City.

    Below is a list of Lucie honorees, plus nominees for the International Photography Awards and Lucie Awards support categories, which will be announced during the ceremony at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Comedian Barry Weintraub is the host.

    We’ll update this post to include the winners later tonight.


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  • Link: Photojournalism: Why Bother? | 100 Eyes Photo Magazine:

    I hear the question all the time when I talk about photojournalism education, photojournalism internships and photojournalism careers.

    Everybody knows about the what’s happening in the newspaper industry, broadcasts outlets and mainstream media all together. If there are no jobs, scant freelance opportunities and outright derision from the hate-the-media crowd, why bother?

    Ironically, there are more reasons — and more important reasons — now than ever to bother being a true professional photojournalist, video journalist, multi-media journalist, visual communications journalist or whatever you want to call it these days.


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    Link: New Toys for HD-DSLR « Vincent Laforet’s Blog:

    It’s been awhile since I’ve updated my gear list on this blog to reflect some of the new toys that I’ve put into the mix of my HD-DSLR kit.


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  • Link: David Rohde Q. and A.: Held by the Taliban – At War Blog – NYTimes.com:

    Many readers criticized my statement that I was surprised by how extreme many Tailban had become since 2001 and called me naïve.


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  • MediaStorm documents Final Cut workflows for the Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D300

    Since its release, the Canon 5D Mark II has become the de facto video camera for many photojournalists. Despite some technical challenges, like the ability to f

    via MediaStorm Blog: http://mediastorm.org/blog/?p=1347

    It’s not hard to understand why the Canon 5D Mark II, and now the Nikon D300, have become so popular. But to make these files Final Cut Pro compliant there remain a number of technical hurdles.

    To help with this, MediaStorm has documented our workflow with each of these cameras in two separate PDFs. These documents detail the transcoding process in Compressor, demonstrate how to use Apple’s Qmaster to get the most out of your computer’s processors, and describe how to properly set up a default Final Cut sequence setting for your respective footage.


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