September 2013 Newsletter
Things that made my life easier this month:
Beachtek has a couple of new video products that work really well, their Kamkit and MCC-2 audio adapter have been essential tools for me.
Just picked up Nikon’s 60mm Macro lens and really like it a lot.
Been using the Fader variable neutral density filter a lot, to enable a wider aperture, for more shallow depth of field when shooting with flash outside.
Been choosing to use the Tascam DR-40 field recorder a lot more than the Zoom H4N.
The Turbo Scan iPhone app saved my butt many times over the last few months when I couldn’t get to a fax or scanner.
The Wescott Apollo Orb got a lot of use this month as my go-to light modifier.
With memory card prices continuing to fall I have started buying bigger cards. The SanDisk 32gb Extreme Pro card is now my primary memory card.
Three new clients that were a joy to work with.
The Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini Lithium battery, which I used to power some Einstein strobes on 3 outdoor portraits I shot this month.
Things that made my life more difficult this month:
My web and email host Fat Cow, who improved their email system so much that it randomly failed to send my emails. Embarrassing when a client doesn’t get your emails.
Interesting Links:
This guy’s camera collection is out of control. http://lavidaleica.com/content/think-youve-got-gas
Bruce Davidson interview. http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/08/28/civil-rights-photographer-the-march-on-washington-was-only-a-beginning/
Hilarious Nokia ad spoofs smartphone cameras. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vR4LeL0yzE
Steve McCurry is profiled for his upcoming book: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/08/30/afghan-girl-photojournalist-steve-mccurry-looks-back-on-his-storied-career.html
Amazing underwater photos from a National Geographic Photographer will blow your mind. http://gizmodo.com/5405892/national-geographic-photographer-meets-deadly-leopard-seal
Here’s a world class photographer who only shoots with one lens.http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/the-lens-is-standard-the-photos-anything-but/?hp&_r=1&
The importance of registering copyright: http://petapixel.com/2013/09/10/250-million-reasons-register-photo-copyrights/
An old interview with Magnum’s darkroom master. http://theliteratelens.com/2012/02/17/magnum-and-the-dying-art-of-darkroom-printing/
Vietnam War photos that made a difference: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/vietnam-war-photos-that-made-a-difference/?smid=fb-share&_r=0
Twenty years of combat photography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=858V4S_w_xI
George Mitchell getting his due: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24026054?SThisFB
Apple is really pushing the envelope with the new iPhone 5S camera features. I love that the flash has an adjustable color temperature: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7329/some-thoughts-about-the-iphone-5s-camera-improvements
A year in the life of New York Times Photographer Tyler Hicks: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/at-photoville-hickss-photographic-year/?smid=tw-share&_r=0
Conversation with Nick Nichols and Brent Sirton about their groundbreaking National Geographic story on Lions. http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/18/conversation-with-nick-nichols-and-brent-stirton/
Adobe has wisely created a sub-classification of its onerous Creative Cloud subscription model, this one just for photographers and it’s not a bad deal. http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2013/09/adobe-introduces-new-photoshop-offer-for-creative-cloud.html
Very nice lighting handbook from Arri. http://www.arri.com/fileadmin/media/arri.com/downloads/Lighting/US_Lighting_Products/lighting_kits/ARRI_Lighting_Handbook_3rd_Edition_March_2012.pdf
Cool behind the scenes on a Duck Dynasty photo shoot. http://fstoppers.com/see-how-art-streiber-photographed-the-cast-of-duck-dynasty?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fstoppersfeed+%28fstoppers%29
And this is why you should always carry a camera with you. http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/witness-to-a-massacre-in-a-nairobi-mall/?smid=tw-share&_r=0
Happy shooting,
Michael