First of all Congratulations to Benny B. of Meridian Id., last weeks winner, who will be getting a copy of Class Picture by Dawoud Bey, published by Aperture.

This week, we have a BUNCH of different items for you. [photopress:hearthtreasuresblessingscornucopia.jpg,thumb,alignright] Continue Reading »

OK, had a chance to walk through PhotoLA with fresh eyes today, and a more leisurely up and down, side to side, approach to cover the fair.

[photopress:photola_mom_8.jpg,full,centered]
@ Jeong Yoon 2006/2007
(click the photo for more)

Overall, yes, there are a few great new artists seen for the first time here. However, the majority of the great work are the masters, the classics, the photographs and photographers that have been with us forever.

[photopress:3d.jpg,full,centered]

A personal favorite is this 3 D viewer with black and white images from th 70’s by Bill BUrke. Available exclusively from Vincent Borelli, Bookseller. You have got to go by this booth and take a look.Very cool.

More importantly, though, the new generation such as Julie Blackmon, available at Photo-Eye, and Jill Greenberg, showing at Clamp Art, are still very strong. They are not showing lots of new images, so maybe you want to call them “sophmore artists”. And that is meant as a complete compliment.

Yes, the prices are climbing, so if you’re not going to jump into that real estate deal now, purchasing a quality photograph may be an answer to hedge inflation and enhance your life.

[photopress:manray.jpg,full,centered]
Oh, and here is that Man Ray book we mentioned for only $10,000, from Bondi Books.

We discussed the new layout yesterday. What we didn’t discuss it the fact that there are fewer dealers. On one hand it does make it a more manageable show to navigate and really see what is here. Not so overwhelming.

On the other hand, when you have a huge mass of work, the star players jump out at you. This year didn’t have that for us. No real breakout artists as in previous years.

With the massive amounts of photo fairs coming one right after another, one has to hope that the market isn’t cannibalizing itself. From Paris-Photo to AIPAD Miami, and PhotoMiami right on top of each other, the galleries doing the showings, are tired. And therefore they all don’t show up.
Oh did we mention that Art LA is coming up Jan. 25-27, and AIPAD is in NYC again in April??

Those who are passionate about photography are the winners here, though. the more you see, the more you learn. And experience.
Sweet.

Cheers!
Damon Webster

From a techy gear show at CES to a beautiful display of vision. Ahhhhhh.

PhotoLA brings you a full roster of great photography dealers under one roof.
And a very cool way to continue the new year. Honoring Julius Shulman,legendary architectural photographer

[photopress:oz_casestudy22.jpg,full,centered] Case Study House #22, Los Angeles, 1960
Pierre Koenig, Architect
© Julius Shulman
American, 1960[photopress:Shulman.jpg,full,alignright]

For the third venue in it’s history, PhotoLAis now at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica Airport. By far, the most user friendly location. With a And at $20. for one day and $30. for all 3 , you can’t beat it. And that includes the catalog. Do Not Pass Up the seminars though. The collecting seminars especially, will give you an education you cannot get anywhere else. Help make your enjoyment of and purchasing of photographs richer experience. Truly.

Now based on a grid system, each booth is more open and accessible, plus you can pan and scan in your initial walk through and then know exactly which images are calling out to you.[photopress:walkabout.jpg,full,centered]
This could/should be the year that you buy the photograph you’ve been thinking about.
OR…. Continue Reading »

[photopress:CES_2008_flash.jpg,full,centered]
Oh sure, it sounds glamorous.
Walking the length of a football field about 20 times, being greeted by product spiders enticing you to step into their web and hear the product pitch.
Fine cafeteria food, and 150,000 people you can bump into at every turn.
Now, that’s a good time.
Honestly, it is kinda cool. Seeing large and small manufacturers bringing out some current and future technology to make our lives better.
And previews of the screens that will be showing the latest content.

And now with less wires. Continue Reading »

At CES today, Kodak introduced a new addition to their printer line up, Kodak EasyShare ESP 3 All in One Printer, with some free software included.

OK, so why is that news? Well, the software is a simplified retouching tool that, based on Kodaks years of printing for the masses, incorporates their learnings into a global correctional tool.

What the heck does that mean?

If you have a photo where the faces may appear, well, too real including blemishes, the included software will fix it for you. In 3 modes – Low, Medium, and High.

Here is one example:

Before
[photopress:before1x.jpg,full,centered]
After:
[photopress:retouched1x.jpg,full,centered]

Now, the algorithm used, keeps the eyes sharp but does soften the rest of the face slightly. In addition, the whites of the yes are brighter as are the teeth. You can control these however. This sample is a little extreme, but you can adjust. Plus in a shot with multiple faces you can choose which one to adjust.

Perhaps the bigger news for the casual user is the cost per print. .10 per 4×6 a opposed to .28 for most other printers. Substantial. And face it, Kodak does have a history with delivering your families prints. At about $130 USD and a 2 cartridge/6 ink system costing about $25 for the set, they have delivered on their promise to get the costs down.

The all in one part of it is he scanner, general printer for your B&W docs, plus it reads most media cards. Only downside is that there is no monitor on the unit, so you will be viewing shot choices on your computer.

Look, we are always looking for, not only the tools for the prosumer, but good quality, simplified products for everyday use.

This works.