…for about 2.5 hours on this very solid DVD with Bob Krist and Joe McNally (yep,there he is again), Nikon School Presents A Hands-On Guide to Creative Lighting

We love it when the manufacturers take it upon themselves to teach you about the products they sell.
No, really.
Yes, they are promoting their products, but the information they pass on transcends all of that.
We feel that when you are buying their products, it makes sense that they show you how to easily use it.
That inch thick manual is great for reference, and we go to them when ever we are stumped, but a hands on look. and teaching method is where we live. C’mon, it’s a visual medium, right?
Like their site Nikon Digitutor which shows you exactly what the buttons on your camera are for, to help you use it better or make a choice before you buy.

Back to the giveaway-

There are solid lighting lessons here that you will use. Whether you use a speedlight, multiple speedlights, or regular studio strobes.
Plus they’ll show you how to efficiently work on location with these portable little beauties.

Here’s some of what they’ll cover:
*Lighting fundamentals and techniques—in the studio and on location
*Flash essentials
*Direction, color and quality of light
*Step-by-step placement of Speedlights within a scene
*Creating an efficient portable Speedlight outfit
*Overcoming the challenges of location lighting
Plus a ton more.

And if you do use Nikon Speedlights, the section on Master Commander and remote speedlights is worth the price of admission.
Seriously.

Here is a small preview:

Look, the powerful little computers you hold in you hand that we call cameras and speedlights are capable of some incredible things.
You just have to know what you have.
Let’s files this under tools for the toolbox.

Details for getting one of these DVD’s for free will be in this weeks NEWSLETTER

Haven’t been receiving your NEWSLETTER? We hear that sometimes, and we’re working on a fix. There will be an email going out to folks that are active but for some reason aren’t getting the weekly. The email will come from us, so hopefully it doesn’t land in spam land.

Coming soon!
We’re working on a larger piece for you on convergence. Stills meet video. Should you pay attention yet? If you are, what may be the kind of gear you’ll need that will grow with you?
The research is getting done and we’re meeting with folks all along the line.
Plus doing hands on try-outs of the gear to see what works and is not just hype. We’re already finding gear that can multi-purpose for you, in stills and video.
Next weekend in LA, is a conference called Collision regarding all of this. The goal is to be the eyes and ears for you if you can’t make and do some recon on they subject.
The manufacturers are quite happy that there is a new category ofr purchases, but new players are coming in strong.
Sound experts for one.
This week is also lunch with a former president of ASC and the subject will be discussed.

So a full week ahead here on the site.

Sound a little like a line from a song out of the 60’s?
Yep, it is.
Woodstock it is, my friends, and on this 40th Anniversary of that event, you cannot miss the images or the tributes.
Or how about a movie based on the actual event? Taking Woodstock directed by Ang Lee opens this week.
The truth is that the most of the bands that played, didn’t have their finest hours, but it was a cultural event that brought together about 400,000 people to hear music.
Rock and roll was a minority genre.
But this was one heavily documented event.

This past week at the Duncan Miller Gallery, not only were you able to check out some of the classic images from the concert, but 4 of the photographers exhibiting were on hand:

Baron Wolman


Jim Marshall

Henry Diltz

Lisa Law

And one of the coolest thing was they were all 4 signing one print commemorating the date 40 years before of the opening of Woodstock. The shot was Baron Wolman’s.

I am kicking myself for not getting a couple more of these, but they went super fast. only $20. The gallery itself had a record turnout for the event.

The exhibit is up til Sept. 25th at the Duncan Miller Gallery
We know a lot of you may not be able to make it but click on the photographers names for more. there are sadly only 4 images at the gallery’s site.

And there is that movie about to be released about the event. Not a doc, but a comedy.

Want some more Peace and Love?
( Caution-there is brief nudity ahead )
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You may know Joe McNally from his speedlight adventures on the Strobist, or teaching his methods for getting some great photojournalistic shots.
Quite honestly, our first encounter with Mr. McNally’s work was an exhibit at the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles of his massive over life sized, Polaroid portraits of the Faces of Ground Zero.
In the face of tragedy, we all react and contribute in different ways.
Joe McNally’s reaction was to photograph the heroes of the event and make sure we all remembered.
The people in the photographs never intended to be heroes but the situation called upon them, and they answered the call.
The studio was set up with this camera that took larger than life photographs, and the people who had come to the tragic site to help, came to the studio. The camera measured 12 long by 16ft high, and produced these one of a kind Polaroid images

At a time when many books were revealing the destruction of 9/11, and were brilliantly done, such as Joel Meyerwitz’s book, Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive, this book took a different path, a positive look at the best of the human condition.

Portraits of 150 of the men and women who came forward, and assisted in the rescue efforts.

So although the date isn’t here yet, we wanted to offer a copy of this out of print book, to one of you.
Why this book is currently not in print, puzzles us, but no matter. We can still find a copy here and there.

The next time you hear about Joe McNally, and he is teaching all of the best ways to use speedlights, also remember this volume of work he made.
We always will.

Details on getting a copy of this book will be in this weeks NEWSLETTER.
Sign up by Tuesday night @12:00 EST.

You don’t usually get a chance to meet the photojournalists that cover the atrocities of war.
Most of the time they are on the front lines covering the event, or hanging in the local hospitals finding out where the most dangerous areas are.
And then going in and getting the most harrowing looking images you may ever see. It could be the adrenal rush of life in your face, or the need to tell a story that may have been missed by the journalists in the hotels.
The danger is omnipresent and part of the job perhaps, but you never want to hear that someone has been injured making those photographs.

Last month, the Annenberg Space for Photography, hosted the 67th POYi awards for outstanding journalistic photography. The honorees had come in from the field to accept the awards, and meet and greet.

© Damon Webster

The top award for Newspaper Photographer of the Year went to AP photographer Emilio Morenatti.
I was very happy to speak with some of the honorees, especially Emilio and his wife, Marta.

He gave a talk that night outlining his methodology, using a 28mm or 50mm lens to photograph the war around him.
Although proud of the award, he couldn’t wait to get back in the middle of it all. Yeah, that’s close.
While photographing in the hall and later at the podium, I felt compelled to share the images with his wife in the audience, as she picked a few she wanted for herself.

© Damon Webster

Soft spoken, and a very friendly, we all vowed to stay in touch. The photos were emailed as promised.

This past Tuesday, a military jeep that Emilio, and AP videographer, and 2 soldiers were in, ran over a bomb hidden in the open desert in Afghanistan.
After being airlifted to a hospital in Kandahar, his leg injuries were so severe, they had to amputate one of his feet.

I somehow feel that he will not be slowed down for long, and we will be seeing Emilio Morenatti’s photographs for years to come.
Here is an article from the NY Times, along with a selection of his photographs.

My thoughts and prayers go out to he and his wife Marta.

This one was actually a surprise entry, as we already had another item ready for you, but the good folks at Anthropy Arts felt one of you should have a free copy of the Keith Carter DVD.
We like that.
So, we’ve told you a bit about this item and the rest of the series, but we’ll share another thought here.

Random, perhaps. However, there is a link.

Last week, when director John Hughes died, we immediately went to our DVD collection and pulled our fave Hughes movie, Ferris Buellers Day Off. Brilliant.
As the tray slid open, and the disc inserted, the snacks were ready for yet another screening of this now classic movie (for us, anyway).
Then the menu options came up and directors commentary was one of the choices.
When would we watch this movie again? probably a long time from now.
This was the perfect opportunity to hear John Hughes comments on this film. After at least 10 viewings the script came second nature to us, so why not hear the intention behind the tableau.

Here comes the link………….wait for it………………

The commentary from Keith Carter on his books and unpublished works on this DVD gave us a similar feeling that we were let into the artists thought process, and the whys and wherefores of the work.
For us, it is a very important part of this DVD.
Whether you’ll be surprised, your perception altered, or you gain a conversation point, it’s a rare view from a photographer to discuss so many of their pieces at one time.
And even if you never tone a print in your life, why not watch the affable Mr. Carter show you how he does it?

Watch it in bits, as it’s a pretty big meal.

Details on getting a copy for free are in this weeks NEWSLETTER. Subscribe for free right here.

And if you just want to go ahead and buy it, click here

Every week we send out a free NEWSLETTER, and giveaway photo goodies to our most dedicated readers.
Once you sign up, an email will show up on Weds. @ 9:00 AM PST with details on that weeks giveaway.
Just the way we do things around here.