Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

I’m Thankful for . . .

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You.

I just wanted to take a moment this Thanksgiving Day before I eat way too much turkey, corn, potatoes and everything else on the table, then poke around at my family with a 50mm lens, and say thanks for reading Photography Bay.

If it wasn’t for you reading what we write here, there would be no Photography Bay.  So, thanks.

Thanks to people like:

Frequent commenter, ossme, who hardly ever misses an opportunity to provide an insightful comment on PB’s posts.

Pat, who sent the latest email (of so many other people email replies that I have received) expressing her gratitude for our weekly newsletter: “I have only been a subscriber of yours for a short time, but you have never disappointed. It is now on my must read list. Thank you for doing such a great job!” – Wow.  Thank you, Pat.

Rich Legg, who is always willing to help out with photography advice, judging a contest, or the occasional and very thorough articles.  (You guys in Utah have a really special person on hand with Rich.)

Everyone that sends me a quick email to point out those typos that I miss or technical mistakes on gear.  Yes, I really appreciate all those emails and comments.  Really.

Everyone who tolerates the frequency of my use of the word “really” in camera reviews.  I have a re-read of reviews now just to delete the word “really” – and they still sneak through.

Everyone that sends a news tip, rumor or suggestion using PB’s contact form.  Although I don’t get to reply to them all, I read every one.

Guest posters Zach Matthews, Angela Datre, Ron Kruger and so many others.

All 637 of you that are currently a member in Photography Bay’s Flickr Group.  A special thanks to those of you who contribute on a regular basis.

B&H Photo, Adorama and Amazon for supporting this site through their affiliate programs.  There’s no way Photography Bay could be where it’s at today without an affiliate relationship with these trustworthy vendors.  And, I shop at each of them . . . my wife would say way too often.

Everyone who uses Photography Bay’s links to shop at B&H Photo, Adorama and Amazon.  In case you don’t know how these links work, when you use the links on Photography Bay to get to one of these sites, we receive a small commission from those purchases.  You still pay the same prices no matter how you get there; however, when you stop by Photography Bay first and click on through to one of these vendors, it helps keep us rolling with fresh content.  So, a big thanks for your support.

Contest sponsors like Sony, who sent PB reader Massimo to Argentina this year; Seagate, who has given away hard drives for the past 2 years (there’s one running now); Think Tank Photo, who has supplied their awesome bags for giveaways or allowed me to pass on review samples to readers; and everyone else that has sponsored some kind of contest or giveaway.

All of the PR people that take the time to write a personal email explaining why their news release is relevant (and, even the PR folks that don’t know how to write emails, but still send timely and relevant news).  There are a lot of great PR folks that stay in touch and keep me informed with what’s going on in the industry; however, Samsung, Olympus and Sony UK stick out as really top notch in terms of getting to the point in a nice way and staying in touch as “people” – so, special thanks to Jason, Jennifer, Mark and Jonny.

Blogging pals like Peter K. Burian, David Ziser, 1001 Noisy Cameras, Nikon Rumors Admin, Brian Auer, and, again, so many others who bounce emails off me, give me a heads up, pass along one of PB’s posts or reply to my questions.

I’m thankful for all of these and the so many other people that I left out who make Photography Bay what it is today.  I could go on and on; however, I’ll just say to you, if you’re reading this . . . Thanks.

 

Awesome Story From Shooting Leopard Seals in Antarctica

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I saw this over on John Nack’s Adobe blog today.  Very cool stuff from National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen (you can get lost in the images on his site).

In case you gear heads are wondering, Paul shoots with Canon DSLRs (1Ds Mark III and 1D Mark III, along with the predecessors).  Some of his underwater gear includes Seacam housings and Ikelite strobes.  A more complete list of his gear can be found here.

The book you see pitched at the end of the clip, Polar Obsession, is on Amazon.com here.

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies Detain Person for Taking Photos in Public Place

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In the above video, Shawn Nee was stopped and detained for 25 minutes by Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Deputies for taking photos in the subway. The video is cut down under 10 minutes for YouTube time limits, but the full encounter is available here.

Shawn Nee is a photographers’ rights advocate and, while his encounter may have been set up to “bait” the stop since the video was up and running in a covert fashion, the officer clearly overstepped his bounds.  During the encounter, the officer concedes that he doesn’t know whether or not Nee has committed a crime but rather, has stopped him to see if a crime is being committed. [Read more…]

Stock Photographers, Eat Your Heart Out

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Yuri Arcurs shows off his sweet stock photography studio in this lastest video from Crestock.com.  As you can see, stock photography is big business for Yuri.

A guided tour in Yuri Arcurs’ studio at Aarhus in Denmark – see how he works and organize his sets and get a unique look behind the scenes at one of the most successful and productive stock photography studios

There are several other great videos on the Crestock YouTube channel.  There’s also a nice blog at Crestock as well.

Experimental Japan Stop Motion Video

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Experimental Japan from Dave Lee on Vimeo.

Shot with a Canon 20D, 20mm lens & 50mm lens.

Here’s a cool little stop motion video that reader David Lee sent in.  I asked David to tell us a little more about the project:

The idea was to make an animation set in Asia. The “experimental” side appeared after i started piecing the images together. The Donnie Darko rabbit just fell into place during the edit, especially when i put the track in. The rabbit is a house pet in Kyoto, so it was still fitting for the “Asian” subject.

Interview with Pro Sports Shooter Delly Carr

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Sony UK was kind enough to help out with access to Delly Carr, who chaired the panel of judges for the Sony World Photography Awards, for a quick interview on sports photography, photo gear and the digital imaging revolution. I encourage you to visit Mr. Carr’s site, http://www.sportshoot.com.au/, and peruse his portfolio a bit before diving into the interview.  It’s good stuff.

I see plenty of football (or soccer as we call it) images in your portfolio; however, there are also many stellar images from swimming, tennis, and other sports. So, what’s your favourite sport to shoot, and why?

Favourite sports ……. that’s a tough one. I am the biggest armchair sportsman around, so I love shooting anything within the sporting world. Anything that has water involved tends to sway towards favouritism I guess. But if I had to call just one sport, then it would be Triathlon. Three sports in one … swimming, cycling, and running, and then throw in some guts and glory into that mix. That’s why I love it so much.

Are you shooting with the Nikon D3 now or still on the D2x?

Shooting with the D3 right now.

How has the low light performance changed your shooting with the Nikon D3 as compared to the D2x?

In sports, shoots are conducted in the whole spectrum of lighting. Sunlight, low light, nighttime, stadium lighting etc etc. Being able to shoot in low light, without sacrificing quality. without sacrificing shutter speeds, without sacrificing apertures, is an absolute blessing. I now know the reason for missing a pic lies solely with me. And that has added fire into my belly. [Read more…]

Obama Charging Big Bucks for Press Credentials

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Thumbing through my feeds today, I came across a rather disturbing post from John Harrington over at Photo Business News and Forums.  Essentially, if you are covering Obama’s election night event in Chicago, you have to pay anywhere from $715 to $1815 for press credentials.

Harrington points out that it’s not unusual “to have the media paying for the construction of risers, tents, and so forth”; however, charging media for access alone is offensive.  Chicago Business points out that:

The only free admissions are for a “general media” area. But, the memo says, “Please note that the general media area is outdoors, unassigned and may have obstructed views . . . standing room only.”

Lynn Sweet, a columnist and the Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times, also chimed in on the issue noting:

This is an outrageous pay to play plan that caters to national elite outlets with deep pockets.

While the comments on the news posts linked to above get pretty intense and are clearly politically charged, I’d like to ask your opinion about charging for media credentials for access to an event.

Keep in mind, this isn’t the first time that we’ve see press credentials become an issue in this campaign.  Some press members were put off by the fact that Obama’s press credentials carry a big slogan “Change We Can Believe In” above the smaller-sized word “Press”.  (Discussion here.)

Another poster in the same discussion pointed out that “at McCain events, all you have to do is show your regular press credentials at the door, and they give you the event’s press pass. No pre-registration necessary. Not so with Obama’s campaign.”  Finally, CBS reported on McCain’s spoof press credentials, which took a stab at Obama’s purported favor with the media.

So, what are your thoughts on the press credential issues?

New Book Catalogs Sakamaki’s Early Work

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Tompkins Square ParkQ. Sakamaki’s reputation as a photographer is based on his documentary skills: he has photographed conflict and suffering the world over. He has documented the painful lives of sex workers in Bangladesh and the destruction of the Liberian civil war.

But Sakamaki’s new book, Tompkins Square Park, is an exploration of Sakamaki’s roots — his work before global conflict. The images in Tompkins Square Park, are older, dating from the years when Sakamaki was first settling in New York City after leaving Japan and a career in advertising. Sakamaki moved to the East Village in 1986, living among and photographing the abandoned and decaying buildings of the area. Those photographs now comprise Tompkins Square Park.

The photographs have subtle touches of hope among the poverty of the area. The book is full of images of protestors and others working to improve that desperate time in the East Village

The Sacramento Bee Adds Photo Blog

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The idea that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ holds doubly true for the daily news. The Sacramento Bee has figured that fact out and has added a photo blog to its online offerings. The blog is titled ‘The Frame‘ and is maintained by the Bee’s multimedia staff.

Looking over the photos that have been posted so far, I’ve seen a mix of photo credits: the Sacramento Bee is contributing plenty of photos to the blog, but there are also several AP photos. They haven’t quite reached posting daily, but I’m hoping they will. There are some beautiful shots here and the blog doesn’t exactly compete with the Bee’s print product.