Just returned from the Getty Museum today, and for the first time in a long time, I feel the promise of the collection that has made Getty’s name in the photography world, has truly been realized with this exhibit of Edward Weston’s body of work entitled Enduring Vision. Oh sure, years ago they made the biggest purchase of it’s time, 7.2 million dollars, of a photography collection. But where was it? Slowly brought out in small shows, it was a tease. Good tease, but we all knew there was more. And here is a good chunk.
Open now til November 25th, 2007. If you are in LA, it’s a must see.

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Now Edward Weston is one of the prime influences in my photographic life. I’ll never forget Continue Reading »

Ah, the Big Apple, one of the most electric cities in the world, melting pot extraordinaire, home of a visual smorgasbord made for a photographer.
It’s all here whether it’s the architecture, the humanity, the iconic physicality for the streets.

The only concern an amateur shooter would have so far is making sure it was a solid image.

But there was possible trouble afoot.
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© James Isreal.

“New rules being considered by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting would require any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance. The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment. Julianne Cho, assistant commissioner of the film office, said the rules were not intended to apply to families on vacation or amateur filmmakers or photographers. Nevertheless, the New York Civil Liberties Union says the proposed rules, as strictly interpreted, could have that effect. The group also warns that the rules set the stage for selective and perhaps discriminatory enforcement by police.”

The main issue here is interpretation.

The way it is worded, an officer of the law can enact the strictness of the rules and stop anyone from shooting. The tipping point could be the professional looking camera to a pro quality tripod.

Check this article from the New York Times. Or this one.

This is the official government doc,if you’d like to go through it.

BUT THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!!!!!!

Here are the results as of Aug. 3rd, 2007.

A huge round of applause to everyone at Picture NY, ACLU, National Press Photographers Association, and everyone who participated in leading the charge.

You may ask what this means to you now? Well we’ll see what the new proposal brings. But this is a major rights issue on both sides. With things like Google Earth having vans cruising the streets to give you the awesome perspective while catching people in places they may not want to be seen. And street shooting has its rights issues as always. Public places for sure, but what if YOU were photographed doing something, perhaps not illegal, but not showing you in the best light?

Comments? We’ll start a thread on the Forum.

(winner of yesterdays giveaway, Annie Leibowitz-A Photographer’s Life: 1990-2005 is listed at the end of this article)

Right, so you’ve been working with the industry standard Photoshop CS2,and then CS3 comes out. Heck don’t we have enough things to deal with it? Then there is asset management software with some correction possibilities:Lightroom, Aperture, CaptureNX? What to use and what to buy. Can’t we agree on a standard ? And are they all really worth the expense? [photopress:cs3.jpg,full,alignright]

Well, after working with the latest version,CS3 , I have seen the light!
And saved time. Simplified my life. Short stroke dough for HUGE new features.

Whew.

Lets talk about workflow.
You know..the general way you save, file, adjust, and save again, distribute your photographs.

Ok, let’s start at the beginning: Bridge CS3.
If you are familiar with Bridge you will see some significant upgrades. If not, we’ll break it down for you: this program will let you view the media you have either on a card, or on a hard drive in a folder (or just sitting there on its own.)

The power of the program with the upgrades is substantial. Continue Reading »

At the recent Clios Awards in Miami, we were lucky enough to catch Richard Myers, Creative Director in the UK, in the hotel lobby before speeding off to the next event.

He is a veteran of the ad wars, and brings a knowledgeable perspective on the subject at hand: Photography in the world of marketing.

Good timing too, as we will be bringing you a review of Photoshop CS3 later this week.

Yep, we’ve have one more of these puppies to give away. One of the most popular photography books of last year, this book is a record of a truly great exhibit of Annie Leibowitz’s work.

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And here is a podcast of the master herself, from the Brooklyn Museum where the show opened.

Want to know how this book can be yours? Free? Gratis? No Charge ?

We make it simple:
1. Make sure you are signed up for the NEWSLETTER, either here on on the HOME page right hand column.
Then….. Continue Reading »