and because I messed up the lyrics ( by Yip Harburg ) SO bad, the freebie has to go the first person who called me out: J. Ed B. of North Chili, NY. A surprise pack will be coming out to you.
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( for those of you who have no idea what we’re talking about: on the NEWSLETTER we had an extra giveaway tied to recalling the lyrics and the movie attached to the subject line. The line we had was “Snip,Snip Here” referring to “snipping” out the FORUM. Just a little something extra for those that subscribe.)

And the big winner of the Crumpler Bag this week is: James M. of Lincoln, NE.

A huge round of thanks to all of you who replied around the world. We hope we will be able to gift all of you through the years. A small thank you for your support. And a way to check out some of the best goods in the photo world. We only want to give you the best.

We’ve lined up some pretty cool items in the near future so make sure you are signed up for the NEWSLETTER to be eligible.

What makes this site cool for us, is all of you. Without “u” there would be just “s”
OK, that was awful. Sorry.
But we appreciate the work that some of you share with us.

This week we’d like to shine a light on one of our longtime readers and a contributor to the gallery, Mahesh Shantaram

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“In all my work, I try to find that something extra in the ordinary, teasing out the sublime from within the ridiculous. My primary area of interest in photo documentary lies in urban reality rooted in the here-and-now. None of that nostalgic stuff. Consequently, I’m working on a long-term photo book project on modern Bangalore. In the commercial realm, I offer a breed of wedding and architecture photography services for the discerning few.”

[photopress:mahesh1.jpg,full,centered]© Mahesh Shantaram

“Before taking up photography as a mission, I was based in Washington, D.C. slaving away in one of those jobs. Seven long years in the tech/media industry worked up quite an appetite for issues at the forefront of the photographic arts today. As an active advocate of digital photography and technology, I give camera phones their due respect and embrace Creative Commons with a bear hug. I’m always digital and always work in colour.

“Starting March 2008, my work will be on show in Delhi and London at an exhibition on Indian contemporary photography produced by Vadehra Art Gallery. In March-April, I will be based in Shanghai to work on a commissioned photo documentary project on urban culture of that great city.”

We hope you click over to his site and see some of this work in its fuller glory. The shot above has a great textural feel to the sea of fabric that is better represented on the site and, no doubt, brilliant in person.

Always have your camera with you. A camera/the camera/some camera.
Things go by pretty fast and you never know what’s going to happen.

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© Damon Webster – All Rights Reserved

There was a time when the technology got too much for me. Before digital. I put down the Nikons. The great lenses. The best labs.

It used to be a photographers dozen was defined this way: Shoot 36, print 12, keep one. And that was a good day.
The theory books almost posited that a good photographer should be able to make a great image with a box camera. Sometime just seeing the image is the thing. Not exposing film or digital media, just seeing the frame and image.
I was totally going there.Not by a conscious choice, but by attitude.
It started by shooting the film and only making contact sheets.
Then processing the B&W and holding it a certain way to see the positive image on the neg. (if you’ve ever processed your own B&W you know about this.)
Then just shooting the film and not processing.
Next to last bit was looking through the viewfinder.
Then the cameras were away and it was a matter of seeing the image. And done.

But hey…this is a medium of communication and if you have something to say, then pick your medium and say it ,Darn it!
Disposable panoramic cameras came back first. The first image published in awhile was a disposable camera shot of a sunset in Santa Monica. Made the LA Times Sunday Magazine.

The shot above was made shortly after the Nikons came back.
The scene is in front of the Nicole Brown/Ron Goldman Murder Scene in Brentwood,CA. which was around the corner from my house at the time. It wasn’t about the murder scene as much as the tourism around it.

Here is a dad encouraging his son to take a snap of the infamous location of tragedy and horrific events.

And the son has his own disposable camera.

So take a camera, any camera, wherever you go. You never know what you may see. Even just around the corner.

Sundays are always a good midpoint that kind of organzies for me.
A day to review all of the work and life from the week before, and a time to set out the plans for the week ahead.

Now this review includes going through any mail, magazines, and papers that didn’t appear critical. Just a habit that kind of organizes life.Personal workflow, as it were.
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This week, Aperture magazine arrived in that stack and what a great way to break up the day.
Kind of the sorbet between clean up and planning.

No camera reviews, no letters to the editor, no multiple pages of ads that you need a magnifying glass to read. This magazine is the voice of the Aperture Foundation—the premier not-for-profit arts institution dedicated to advancing fine photography.

It’s a very strong issue this time.

From the haunting cover image by Gregory Crewdson complete with an article by him discussing this influences there is gold throughout the book.

Martin Parr’s intro to “ Colour before Color ” is kind of a reverse commentary on a show from last summer at Hasted Hunt Gallery. But with brilliant observations that will always be valid.

The reviews of the exhibits such as Richard Princes: Spiritual America at the Guggenheim in NYC give you a visceral feel of the work and made me start to research more on the web and then my favorite bookstores.

“From Ecstasy to Agony: The Fashion Shoot In Cinema” by David Campany traces the photographer as protagonist throughout film history in films such as Blow-Up, Funny Face, Prêt-A Porter, etc. You know we’ve given away these films in past weekly giveaways.

All I’m saying is that this magazine has the powerful content to take you away into a world, as well as any movie nominated this Oscar season.
Pick up this current issue, or better yet, subscribe.
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One more thing that happened on Sunday: The Oscars!

i…. drink…. Your….. MILKSHAKE ! I DRINK IT UP!!

OK, it”s not photography but it’s a great line from the Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”
Well, Robert Elswit who shot the film, did get the Oscar for Best Cinematography.

SPOILER WARNING!!! You can see that line delivered here on YouTube.

Out here in Los Angeles there is a Prophoto Expo this weekend, through Monday, where you can see some of the local companies such as Samy’s Camera and the big boys like Canon and Kodak and LensBabies showing off their new goods. And of course show specials if you’re looking to buy
We took a cruise over to see what we could see.
The best hardware product was this camera bracket, called the JustRite. Honestly, this solved some specific issues we had on assignments. Fit the bill perfectly.

Main features
* Ability to rotate from horizontal to vertical with ease, Clicks in with a secure feel
* Quick release for the camera AND the flash. You can go from the frame to a tripod or monopod (our choice) in seconds without taking off the hardware.
* Feet so you can place setup down and gear remains upright and not laid on it’s side, ready for someone to step on it.
* places for a strobe slave like pocket wizard and /or a battery pack, although a very small one like a Quantum Turbo.Plus the placement of the flash bracket allows you to use a small soft box without affecting the lens view.
* Beautifully machined and made by a professional photographer of 25 years. All of the key features have been designed with the worker in mind.

Overall: smart, versatile, does the right job. Been looking for this for awhile. Perfect for the Event or wedding photographer.
The only downside is that they are not made in mass quantities so you may have to look for it. But you should if this is a tool for your toolbox.
2 versions available so you can choose your versatility. And cost.

Also at this Expo, APPLE was doing demos of the new APERTURE 2.0.
I’m personally a Lightroom guy but there are some new features here that you should look at and consider. Specifically the RAW support and the highlight recovery tool.
Yes, it seems that in the digital photography world there is a real need for highlight recovery.
That was a joke. A small one.
This version is faster. Much faster if you have an Intel multi-core computer. The upgrade is about $100 and will no doubt be discounted. Take a free trial spin though and see what you think. Best bet if you are just checking it out is to NOT import your existing images but use a trial set of images that are backed up in another file.
But you knew that.