Monthly Archives: September 2008

The new photojournalism

Photography

Some career choices.

Here are some things you may not want to do for a living:

  • Work on Wall Street
  • Win the US election on November 4, 2008
  • Go into home building
  • Become a photojournalist

The first three are obvious, but the fourth?

Check out this smart way in which CBS is seeking to get millions of prospects to work for them absolutely free:

Basically, you load this application on your smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry, whatever) and, when you see a newsworthy event, you snap the picture and send it to CBS.

Given that the chances of seeing a newsworthy event are close to zero, these things being random and unlikely (plane hits bridge, intelligent life found in Washington DC, etc.), CBS has just smartly hired a few million photojournalists with no payroll, labor, transportation, copyright, etc. issues. Smart. The sort of thing the media need if they are to survive the gale force storm of the internet, TiVo and blogs.

And at least CBS has the sense to know that a phone camera is just fine; there’s no point in wasting money on expensive DSLRs.

Still want to be a photojournalist?

The iPhone version of this application is available from Apple’s AppStore. Price? Exactly what the future value of photojournalism is. $Zero.

A handy backpack

Cameras

From LowePro.

When I sold my Rollei medium format film gear the LowePro bag in which it was stored was sold also. Way too large for anything I would contemplate in terms of equipment given the Canon 5D’s more compact size.

I finally got around to deciding on a new bag for the 5D gear and settled on the LowePro Mini-Trekker AW. LowePro has such a huge selection of products that it’s not easy finding what suits your needs best and though they have a selection aide on their site it’s not as good as it could be.

I narrowed it down knowing that I wanted a comfortable backpack design for trekking through the woods and aware that a handful of lenses, a ring flash, a few spare CF cards, batteries and the 5D’s instruction book (yes, I still get lost in all those menus and buttons sometimes) would be my companions on such trips.


Loaded for bear

In the above configuration, reading clockwise from the top left: 85mm/1.8, 15mm fisheye, 24-105mm L, 5D/200 L, 100mm macro, 50/1.4, 20mm, ringflash. I use UV filters on all lenses (except the fisheye whose bulbous front element precludes the use of a filter) so have need of only one lens cap – for the fishy. Alternatively, I can exclude any one lens and mount the 400mm f/5.6 L on the camera instead. It fits nicely with the lens hood collapsed. A neat attached fold-out plastic cover makes the whole thing weather resistant and quality is top notch – a notable feature of LowePro bags. It comes in green or black (ugh!), does not scream ‘Steal Me’ and has external straps and a supporting pocket for a tripod. (I prefer a shoulder bag for the tripod to spread the load and use a Tamrac for my 30 year old Linhof tripod). Add the QD sternum and waist straps, included, and you have something clearly thought through at the design stage by a working photographer. As I want for nothing gear wise, this bag should have a long and useful life ahead of it.

LowePro’s site asks for $182 for one of these which is ridiculous. I bought mine on ePrey for $120 delivered, new with all OEM instructions, labels, what-have-you.

By the way, here’s my old one with the Rollei 6003 kit:


A throwback to the bad old days of film

The scale is different, but the old bag was some 50% larger than the Mini-Trekker.

As usual, I find that all those zippers need some breaking in but once you get over that the bag is as user friendly as these things can ever be.

The most famous photographer in the world

Photographers

No question about it.

The current issue of Vanity Fair has an extract from Annie Leibovitz’s book illustrated with three superb photographs – of Demi Moore, Arnold Schwarzenegger and HM Queen Elizabeth II, and a not so good one of Mick Jagger. Read it here.

I was very much taken with Ms.Leibovitz’s modesty and straight forwardness. I hope you will be too. Surely, there is no more famous photographer working today?

The current issue also has a fine survey of the great photographers who have been published in Vanity Fair over the past 95 years, by Christopher Hitchens. Is there a finer English writer today? Berenice Abbott, Helmut Newton, George Hoyningen-Huene, Harry Benson, Cecil Beaton, Bruce Weber, Edward Steichen – they are all there.

And finally a piece on Vladimir Putin with a penetrating portrait by photographer Stéphane Lavoué. I was about to write what I really think of this fellow but decided against it. I do not own a gun and feel, if I said anything bad, I would have to meet those burly guys with dark glasses and ill fitting suits suitably prepared. So, for once, discretion is the better part of valor.

Thanks, Mr. Land

Cameras

Polaroid is no more.

The technology of photography was never more magic than when you used Polaroid cameras and film.

Now, as the WSJ reports, Polaroid film is no more. Even with modern DSLRs capable of tethered shooting and near instantaneous screen display of a snap, nothing will ever match the magic of Polaroid.

You can read more about the Einstein of photography and the creator of Polaroid, Edwin Land, here.

Not in the Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D

Rumors abound – these you can be certain of.


Teaser ad on the Canon site

With all that speculation about the iminent replacement for the Canon 5D, here’s my list of things I can pretty much guarantee will not be in the 5D Mark II:

  • A 21mp sensor. No way. That would immediately cannibalize sales of the ultra-high margin 21mp 1Ds Mark III which goes for $8,000 a pop. And with the 11 mp in the 5D being as good as it is, reckon on no more than 16mp. Let’s hope they don’t muck up resolution in the process.
  • Ultra-high framing rates like in the 40D and 50D. Same reason as above.
  • Full weather sealing. No way no how. This camera is aimed at the advanced amateur snapper, not the pro in rain forests, even if a few rubber gaskets cost $1.50 to add.
  • Eye controlled focus. That’s the fabulous technology available in some late Canon film SLRs. The camera focuses where you look. (This still seems like magic to me). For some reason Canon have never added it to any of their DSLRs. Just imagine using something like Helicon Focus with eye controlled focus. Sight down your subject – click. Look a little further – click. Oh! wow. But not to be in the Mark II.
  • A smaller body. That would cost too much to re-engineer. Canon will add already mature and developed technologies like sensor dust removal and live view (ugh!) but a comprehensive re-engineering of the body would cost too much.
  • A change for that dumb Print button to make it useful – such as a mirror lock-up control. Someone at Canon has a real axe to grind for their printers (surprise!), so expect more of this silliness.
  • Lens aberration correction inside the camera’s software. See the first bullet point above.
  • A permanently attached vertical hand grip. That would look too ‘professional’ and adds needless bulk to an amateur’s camera. Indeed, one of the appealing aspects of the 5D is that it does not look professional – especially if you add some electrician’s tape to all those gauche logos.

Expect the announcement in late September at Photokina in Cologne.