Eat At Joe's

Steve Jobs, 1955 - 2011

2011-10-05T19:56:00.004-04:00

If you haven't yet heard (and I can't imagine that's so) I'll report here the passing of Steve Jobs, a man some have called a 21st Century Thomas Edison. I think he'd like that. I could tell you what a great innovator he was, how he changed the world, how the stuff he brought with him to change the world is insanely great. I can tell you that though we weren't personally acquainted, I'll miss him, and I could go on and on.

What I'd rather do is share something he said that was highly inspirational to me, and I think it's valuable advice for anyone.....

Commencement Address to the Stanford University Class of 2005

Thank you. I am honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college, and, uh, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why'd I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We've got an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would go to college. This was the start in my life.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out okay. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned Coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something... your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. And so at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing-up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me: I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, and I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life's gonna hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking, don’t settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and thankfully, I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die.

Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stuart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960’s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along. It was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stuart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitch-hiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed-off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

What? Ideas Don't Come In The Box??

2011-08-19T05:21:00.000-04:00

An open letter to Canon from safetyhammer on Vimeo.

Skill Set... Something You'll Want To Read

2011-06-21T05:12:00.001-04:00

I just downloaded a free report: "Sales Tips from Other Industries" from Photoshelter... http://bit.ly/SALESTIPS

What Time Is It When An Elephant Sits On Your Fence?

2011-06-19T05:05:00.002-04:00

On one of the photography forums I participate in, one of my correspondents wrote: "Is it better to charge hourly for commercial shoots or is that up to the photographer?"

The answer is:

Hourly? Plumbers charge hourly. It's better to charge by how the image is going to be used, the criteria being:

1) Print or Electronic Use;
2) Advertising, Corporate or Editorial Use;
3) Prominence;
4) Duration of Term (One-time, 6 months, 1 year, etc.);
5) Number of Insertions (advertising), size of Press Run (if use is print other than advertising);
6) Territory (local, regional, national, international);
7) Exclusivity.

Other factors can include degree of difficulty or the amount of time involved, proprietary techniques (if any), etc.

...and it is always up to the photographer because:

when you get a haircut, the terms & pricing are decided by the barber;
when you get your car repaired,, the terms & pricing are decided by the mechanic;
when you're represented in court, the terms & pricing are decided by the attorney;
when you eat a meal, the terms & pricing are decided by the restaurant;
when you rent a car, the terms & pricing are decided by Hertz (Avis, etc);
when you see a movie, the terms & pricing are decided by the theater;
when your suit is cleaned, the terms & pricing are decided by the dry cleaner;
when you use a credit card, the terms & pricing are decided by the lender;
when you ride the subway, the terms & pricing are decided by the transit authority;
when you cross a bridge (or use a tunnel), the terms & pricing are decided by the port authority;
when you watch television, the terms & pricing are decided by your cable or satellite provider;
when you drink a lemonade, the terms & pricing are decided by a six year-old; so
when you buy photography, the terms & pricing are decided by THE PHOTOGRAPHER!

Corporate Motto

2011-06-15T04:57:00.000-04:00

Excerpt from a private note to my ex-partner's step-daughter...

"I guess that's possible but our real corporate motto was "Learning To Cope" which was a message we found spray-painted on the door to the freight elevator in the building where we had our studio. We built this great photo studio on the 4th floor of a decrepit industrial building in TriBeCa (NYC) and we completely refurbished the place so it was a high-tech palace. The only thing we didn't touch was the door to the freight elevator, where we left the spray-painted legend as-is, it just kinda fit our mood at the time."

Contemplating "The Latest Thing" ...And A Solution

2011-06-12T05:26:00.000-04:00

Re: Restrictions on using a tripod in Chicago, a correspondent wrote:

"In light of the latest news, you may need to worry not just about a tripod but about having two armed bodyguards."

Armed bodyguards are a budget-buster. If worse comes to worse, you grab the tripod tightly by the bottom of the legs (with both hands) and swing it swiftly, counter-clockwise, in a wide arc at the flashmob. The weight of the camera and lens at the outward edge packs a wallop they will not soon forget. Ten pounds of glass and steel really smarts when it whacks you in the face. The cops are the least of your problems.

Plan B: Street shooters can accomplish the same by holding a camera strap at mid-point, and you can swing harder and faster that way, one-handed too, like a bolo. Damn, I miss my Nikon F!

(I'll be testing Plan B at the Old Town Art Fair this afternoon and the Chicago Blues Festival later this evening. If you hear anything about fifteen bloodied teen-agers and a jailed photographer..... oh, and if you find a lens cap, please mail it back to me.)

--
Both above: Canon EOS-5D Mark II, 28~105/3.5~4.5 Canon EF Ultrasonic lens, ISO 100
Old Town Art Fair, Chicago 2010, hand-held and camera still intact

Free Movie? She Loses Her Job!

2011-04-29T03:18:00.002-04:00

Excuse Me Mr. Obama, Can You Spare A Few F-16s For Us?

2011-03-29T05:38:00.000-04:00

There's another new contract offer (is that what it is?) from Getty Images. There's buzz about it beginning to get louder.

You may be asking yourself: what more could Getty Images possibly want from photographers? Good question, but that's not the one I'm asking. I'm wondering who will stand up and say, "hey, we have to negotiate this," and then make it stick?

Been there, done that... twice!

Hey Mr. Obama, can you spare a few F-16s for us?

Are You Experienced?

2011-03-20T05:15:00.003-04:00

In a recent discussion on the ASMPproAdvice forum, the question was asked: "I have a stack of magazines with my photos in them, should I scan them and have a category on my website showing them? how much does it matter to potential clients?"

How does one communicate experience, value and a (long) history of publication to a prospective client without showing tearsheets? I have a selection of tearsheets on my web site if anyone's interested in looking at them, but I long ago took them out of my print portfolio. Why?

One of my first clients was a Sr VP/Creative Director/Art Supervisor at Ogilvy & Mather in NYC. He advised me to take the tearsheets out saying, "I'm tired of looking at other art directors' mistakes." They were gone in sixty seconds!

As a compromise, and a reference to my 25 years of shooting for publication, the image shown above is the last page of my print portfolio.

The Gold Rush... Hey Germany, What's Happenin?

2011-02-25T16:24:00.004-05:00

Google Analytics is a wonderful tool. It will give you the what, when, where of any visitor data to your web page(s) but it lacks the thing I'm always most curious about: Why?

A recent review of statistics for this blog shows that on February 10th, just two weeks ago, I had 1159 distinct visitors to this page... 86% of them from Germany. Do I know why? No, I don't. Does Analytics know why? Nope, they don't. Do I know what they were looking at? Yes, I do. This blog entry from December, 2008.

Looks like a gold rush to me, but why?

NYC Pays $30K, Finances New Camera For Shooter

2011-02-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

Story link: MyFoxNY.com

For ASMP Director

2011-01-28T05:40:00.002-05:00

As the new election season nears, with voting to begin in February, the following candidates for ASMP Director are on my list of favorites... Jenna Close, Blake Discher, Mark Green, Bruce Katz and Ed McDonald.

Of the six candidates, three: Blake Discher; Bruce Katz and Ed McDonald are currently directors with whom I've worked and respect. Mark Green is a long-time ASMP member, friend and highly qualified to hold office. Jenna Close, a relative newcomer, also merits and deserves my support, and the support of the voting members.

I sincerely wish all the candidates all the best of luck in the upcoming election and, if elected, I'll look forward to serving with them on ASMP's board of directors.

WOW! 2.0... ASMP's Strictly Business 3

2011-01-11T05:32:00.002-05:00

It was almost three years ago, just before I relocated to the Chicago area, that ASMP staged Strictly Business 2. I hadn't attended the original Strictly Business seminars but I decided to go to SB2. Wow! That was a game changer for me, and even after I'd been in business for more than 20 years. I wrote a blog post about it at the time and you can read it here.

If you haven’t yet registered for Strictly Business 3, I suggest that you do it immediately as it's sure to sell-out. SB3 will be held in three locations starting next week: January 21-23 in Los Angeles; February 25-27 in Philadelphia; and April 1-3 in Chicago. Needless to say, I'll be at SB3 in Chicago.

Some of the featured workshops include: copyright; workflow; pricing; estimating; strategic career planning; successful portfolios & branding; video production. It's an impressive roster of speakers and seminars on hot-button topics.

SB3 is for all photographers, not just the newcomers. Photographers who've been in business for years will get just as much from it, maybe more, than someone new to the biz. Let's face it, it's more important now than it's ever been before to be up-to-date with our business skills and learn new ideas... and you'll meet your peers from all over the country, broaden your scope, make new friends and share. You can't get this kind of intense kick in the pants anywhere else.

I’ve always thought I had a pretty good handle on how to conduct my business, but I came home from SB2 with so much new information, so many good ideas to implement, that I didn’t know where to start. I'm betting that SB3 will be even better! Join us at SB3. Click here to register now.

The Time Has Come, The Walrus Said...

2011-01-01T06:21:00.005-05:00

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax,
Of cabbages and kings,
And who will process Kodachrome,
Did you order your tee-shirt yet?

The last day to place any new orders for Kodachrome processing was Thursday, December 30th, 2010. Kodachrome film that was not in the lab by 12:00 noon on December 30th, 2010 wasn't processed. Don't be confused, Dwayne's Photo did not close. Dwayne's will continue to process other types of film and provide all of their other services, only Kodachrome processing is being discontinued.

RIP, Kodachrome. We'll miss you!

Looking Forward To 2011

2010-12-31T05:14:00.000-05:00

At year's end we all are typically reflective. Not that anything of substance can or will necessarily change with the expiration of a calendar year and the beginning of a new one, but as long as there is such a demarcation it inspires introspection. With that in mind I'd like to point you to an interesting blog post by my old friend Seth Resnick, who gives us (photographers) some additional food for thought. You'll find Seth's commentary on the current state of affairs here...

http://shakodo.com/p/56/

Happy New Year!

I Love My iPad But... Part II

2010-12-26T09:19:00.003-05:00

Steve Noreyko did some research into iPad portfolio software and was kind enough to send me a comprehensive list of the front runners. The three at the top are the ones he likes the best at the moment.

Pad Folio ($7.99)
Minimal Folio ($2.99)
Padport ($9.99)
Foliobook ($7.99)
Flexfolios ($9.99)
Portfolio for iPad ($14.99)
Padfolios ($9.99)
Valise ($4.99)
Unprinted ($2.99)
Sideshow ($9.99)
Lookbook ($1.99)
MediaPad Pro ($14.99)

I Love My iPad But...

2010-12-12T05:16:00.002-05:00

I'm having a problem organizing my photos. I want to show them in a particular order but even though I've numbered them consecutively the iPad insists on showing them in a random order. This is not exactly what I had in mind. I put the images in a folder on my Mac's hard drive, numbered them as "01.jpg" then "02.jpg" then "03.jpg" etc in the order in which I intend them to be shown. My Macintosh folder shows them in the correct order (logical, by number, lowest to highest). In iTunes I selected the folder to sync and let it do its thing. I assumed that if my hard drive lists them in numerical order so will the iPad. I don't understand why it doesn't occur that way. I checked the settings file for Photos on iPad and made sure "Shuffle" was off and tried again. The iPad still shows them in its own order (I said random but it's not random because it doesn't change, it's always the same, just not the order in which the files are numbered), it's driving me up a wall, so I reached out across my digital universe to see if any of my friends have the same problem and know how to fix it. Here's a sampling of what they said.....

Joseph Linaschke If you're syncing from Aperture or iPhoto, the trick is to put the sorting in manual order. When it's in an automatic order (i.e. sort by name, date, etc), for some reason the iPad sync doesn't sync in the right order. But as soon as it's sorted manually, it does. The easiest way to do this is to move a thumbnail manually, which will change it to manual sorting. You can move it back where it was, that's fine but the manual move is the kicker.

Susan May Tell At PhotoPlus Expo I met Craig Orsini who created an App, available at the App store, called Mediapad PRO. His booth was very popular so maybe this will help.

Tony Gale I use Foliobook on my iPad.

David Riecks Any chance it's in the order of the creation date that is embedded in the EXIF? It may be that Apple is leveraging the metadata, and ranking that more important than the filename you gave the image.

Brian Smale Foliobook let's you drag and drop your images, have multiple portfolios, and costs about 7 bucks.

Steven Noreyko I ran into this same problem almost immediately with my iPad. When syncing a folder of images from iTunes, the iPad will by default sort the images by image capture date. Unfortunately there's no way to change that setting on the iPad or in iTunes. If you have PhotoMechanic, you can use Tools Adjust Capture Dates & Times to adjust the image file capture date. [You can] sync images from Aperture or iPhoto (not ideal because I found they overcompress the images). [You can] create new documents for each image in Photoshop and save them in the order you want them displayed. Lame, but it will work. Otherwise, as some have suggested you can also try a portfolio app. FolioBook is one option that others have mentioned. I'm testing out Minimal Folio and I like its minimal-ness and the developer's response to feature requests. Searching for "Portfolio" on the App Store will give you a handful of app options at varying price points.

So..... Taking all of these solutions into consideration, and having superficially checked them out, I think I like the solution proffered by Andrew Webb who wrote: Portfolio For iPad is what I'm using. Very flexible and simple to use.

Here's the best part of what I learned, and really helped me understand the problem... the built-in photo chooser for images loaded in via iTunes does not pass on photo names. As Riecks & Noreyko correctly pointed out, iTunes is leveraging the creation date in the EXIF data to order the images. How am I going to solve this? Stay tuned, don't touch that dial.

Screaming At The Television

2010-12-11T05:47:00.001-05:00

No, I'm not off my rocker, I just knew the question that was the answer.

An Update From 31,000 Feet

2010-12-05T15:20:00.001-05:00

After suffering the multiple indignities of being ignored by TSA security and a one hour and ten minute departure delay, all is ameliorated by Delta's complimentary in-flight wi-fi service. Welcome to the friendly skies... greetings from 31,000 feet. Now, if only a Diet Coke wasn't $3.00 on the plane l'd be all set.

Not Completely Disappointed

2010-12-05T11:40:00.008-05:00

The business climate being what it is I don't fly as much as l have in years past, but l still get off the ground once in a while. Currently at O'Hare (ORD) on my way to Atlanta and saw something interesting... There's a little sign as you wait on line to go through security advising that the X-ray machine will not harm film up to EI800, but if you desire a hand-check it's no problem, just ask.

In the not too distant good old days, if you wanted a hand check they insisted you remove all of the film from the packaging and they'd swab each cassette individually, which could take hours. I began FedExing my film to the location a day ahead of time to avoid delays (not that there was any assurance the film wouldn't be X-rayed by FedEx) but now that l'm off film completely and 100% digital... now TSA is completely accommodating.

To add insult to injury, nobody asked to body-scan or frisk me. I spent a lifetime cultivating a public image based on Oscar The Grouch and l'm not suspicious enough for them any more?

Well, at least my flight is delayed, so l'm not completely disappointed.

( Sent from my iPad)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T06:51:00.004-05:00

It's been quite a while since I was at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, especially since I've been living in the Chicago area for the past three Thanksgivings. Here are some memories of parades past.

Though we're engaged in two wars and the economy is still in a shambles, business continues to be lackluster at best (for photographers, anyway) and a lot of Americans are without jobs altogether, there is still a lot to be thankful for. Spend the day reflecting on the goodness of family and friends, your good health and the many small blessings we still enjoy.

This evening we'll once again be enjoying a special meal. I don't know exactly what's on the menu for dinner tonight but I know what was on my shopping list... Ducks, Parsnips, Onions, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Cornbread, Apple Cider, Yams, Pineapple, Apple Pie.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T06:27:00.000-04:00

Give My Regards To Broadway

2010-10-28T05:45:00.000-04:00

While I'd dearly love to be in New York City this weekend for PhotoPlus Expo, sadly I'm still here in Chicago supervising the wind storms. We are looking forward to milder weather for the weekend but it doesn't matter, my heart is in New York City.

I'm represented well though. I still get to say that I have the largest image on display at the Javits Center. It's behind the concierge's desks on both levels, the image of the Brooklyn Bridge and World Trade Center with the orange sky. Look for me, I'm there in spirit.

For all my friends with whom I'd planned to share round food, come visit Chicago... we have some great hot dogs here!

The Camera Never Lies... It's The Politicians

2010-10-14T05:53:00.002-04:00

I've had to turn-off cable news recently, with the exception of the miraculous rescue of the Chilean miners, because of all the dissection of minutia of the political campaigns and the lies... it makes me absolutely nuts. Just before I did, however, I caught a Jon Stewart/The Daily Show parody of two ads from two different Tea Baggers who used the same image of a group of "illegal aliens" in their mudslinging. Turns out that the ads both infringed the photographer's copyright and the guys in the picture aren't illegal at all. Yes, they're Mexicans, but they were photographed in Mexico where... surprise, surprise... it's legal to be Mexican!

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

2010-10-05T06:35:00.000-04:00

Does anybody really care? This is the most bizarre timepiece I've ever seen... but I still want one! I've got a birthday coming up you know.

Friday, Oct 1, 2010 - 5:11 PM

2010-10-02T06:55:00.003-04:00

I love people who strategically time their phone calls. Had one yesterday from a guy who's a marketing executive at a nearby corporate office. He wanted information but he really didn't want to talk to me so he called just after the close of business yesterday. Unfortunately, for him, I was still in my office.

Phone: Ring, ring.
Me: Hello, this is Joe.
Him: Oh, hi, how do you pronounce your last name?
Po - ber - es - kin
Yeah. Sorry, I was hoping to get your voicemail, I just wanted to hear your name pronounced correctly.
And you are?
My name's Greg Sherwood.
And you just wanted to hear my voicemail pronounce my name?
Yeah. I was looking at your web site.
(He wants to hang-up but I'm having too much fun, so I keep talking...)
Were you just site-seeing or is there something specific? Where are you from?
Oh, I'm from Deerfield but I work in Lincolnshire.
Really? I'm in Deerfield too. What do you do in Lincolnshire?
I'm a marketing executive at XYZ Products.
No kidding? I know your company, it's just a mile up Milwaukee Avenue on the left.
Exactly.
Cool. Do you ever commission photographers?
Yeah, we do.
Great. When do we start?

This Day In History - September 11, 2001

2010-09-11T00:53:00.001-04:00

It's That Time Of Year Again Part III

2010-09-10T05:52:00.000-04:00

It's That Time Of Year Again Part II

2010-09-09T04:52:00.000-04:00

It's That Time Of Year Again

2010-09-08T05:59:00.000-04:00

Let them build their mosque!

No Contest Part IV - Canadian, Eh?

2010-08-21T15:34:00.005-04:00

I don't know if you follow this kind of thing, but occasionally there's a photo contest that's not really a photo contest. Today, my beef is with a Canadian outfit called the Network for Business Sustainability in London, Ontario. Their Communications manager posted a message to one of the LinkedIn forums announcing a Photo Contest...

Photo Contest: "Cool Office Space" $300 prize. No entry fee. Submissions will be considered as they're recieved. Full contest details at www.nbs.net. Does anyone have a shot of a cool office? My organization, a Canadian non-profit called the Network for Business Sustainability, is looking for a vibrant shot capturing cool office design or an illustration of distinctive corporate culture (e.g. foosball tables in boardrooms). Full details for the contest... click here.

The web site says: "The Network for Business Sustainability must be given full rights to use the photo and any derivative works in all electronic and print materials... this image will be used on the Network’s website and in research reports, brochures, and presentations."

So I wrote back: "Is this a contest or are you looking for a stock photo without paying for a proper license? All rights in all media for $300 Canadian? That doesn't sound like a legitimate contest to me, doesn't look like a decent stock photo use fee, either."

It's a perfect example of social networking gone off the reservation. LinkedIn is supposed to be a business networking site, and their forums a place where professionals can discuss pertinent issues, trends or, simply, network. But this is really unprofessional, a request for a stock photo disguised as a contest. Have they no shame?

On Any Sunday

2010-08-16T06:25:00.001-04:00

Sunday, August 15, 2010
Browns Stadium & Wind Turbine
Cleveland, Ohio
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Above: Canon EOS-5D Mark II, 28~105/3.5~4.5 Canon EF Ultrasonic lens, ISO 100

The "Free Umbrella" Is A Dinosaur

2010-08-10T07:01:00.004-04:00

Got your iPad yet? I hope so. In fact, I hope you're reading my blog on your iPad, it's the perfect device for blog reading. It's also a perfect device for book reading, if you like that sort of thing. Personally, I see it as a very handy electronic gizmo, but for me it will never replace a real book. It will also never replace a real newspaper or a real magazine.

On the other hand, I may soon have no choice in the matter. Just as external pressure forced me to abandon charcoal for propane, there simply may not be any real (printed) newspapers or magazines or books in the future. You might think, because they're still a product one pays full price for based on its true cost rather than one that's subsidized by advertising, that books will survive, but I don't want to talk about that.

Actually, I do want to talk about that, but I'd rather point you to Ken Auletta's excellent story in The New Yorker... which reminded me of something else.

In his coverage of the topic, Auletta tells how Amazon has been selling e-books at a loss to gain market share and quotes a publishing executive, David Young, the chairman and C.E.O. of Hachette Book Group USA, who said, “The big concern—and it’s a massive concern—is the $9.99 pricing point. If it’s allowed to take hold in the consumer’s mind that a book is worth ten bucks, to my mind it’s game over for this business.”

Wasn't I saying something like that about the photography business back in 1995 when Getty Investment Holdings announced its purchase of PhotoDisc and then did essentially the same thing as Amazon's done? Actually, Mr. Young is much more genteel than I. If I recall correctly, I said, "if our clients get the idea a picture is only worth three bucks a pop
we're all f*¢#@d!"
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New Yorker cover illustration by Lorenzo Mattotti

For No Particular Reason - Part II (for Keith Taylor)

2010-08-09T01:10:00.008-04:00

October 20, 2008... I posted this image on Eat At Joe's, and it's the one Keith refers to in his comment (see last post). It's kind of a rough sketch for the one in yesterday's post, a location-scouting image.

This is an image of the Brickyard tower showing the same bridge but from the other side, and very early in the morning... a bad time to be needing an ambulance!

This is another image of The Brickyard water tower, from outside Linda T's house.
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All above: Leica D-LUX 3, 28~112/2.8~4.9 Leitz DC Vario-Elmarit lens, ISO 200

For No Particular Reason

2010-08-08T19:28:00.019-04:00

Sometimes there's no particular reason to show a picture other than I just happen to like it. These fall into that category. Above, a car slows atop a bridge over The Brickyard, Deefield, Illinois. From a series on water towers in the mid-west.

This is a portrait of my friend, Jimmy Winstead, a photographer now living in Jackson, Mississippi. He stood for this portrait in 1985 (or was it 1984?) in my studio on East 20th Street in New York City.

I think it was either a test of the lighting for a series of portraits I was making on deep grey background, emulating Denis Piel, who I assisted for a while. It could have been a test of the light bank that I built to be used in the set-up for a series of portraits I was making on deep grey background, emulating Denis Piel. Either way, Denis Piel figured-in prominently.

I had to build my own bank light because, at that time, I'd just opened my business and was strapped for cash. I couldn't afford to have one custom-built for me and I didn't like those fabric banks like Chimera and their imitators because they had a pin-cushion-like shape which I found unattractive when reflected in a surface.

Johnny Rotundi, the pizza maker at
L & B Spumoni Gardens & Pizzeria, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York City, September 1987. I was working on a project with 39 other photographers called Document: Brooklyn whereby we all worked around the clock for a week, well, at least I did. Anyway, L & B Spumoni Gardens was supposed to be the best pizza in Brooklyn. I don't know, I never got to eat any, I went broke buying the dough we consumed making the picture of Johnny tossing the dough in the air, I couldn't afford to buy a slice after the shoot. Oh well.

Everyone who knows me knows that I like to eat pizza. In fact, I make a pretty darned good pizza myself. The secret, believe it or not, is in the sauce. I don't like tomato sauce from a jar so I make my own, it's really not that difficult. Typically I'll make meatballs and spaghetti, have lots of leftovers, then make meatball pizza. Nobody in Chicago makes meatball pizza and they treat me like I'm some kind of a nut when I try to order one. Eat shit, Lou Malnati!

A jellyfish photographed on a visit to the Monterrey (California) Aquarium. My friend, Ernie Pappas, thinks it's a man o' war. To me, it's a pink sea creature in blue water. I like the color. I'm not too interested in the jellyfish except that I hope not to encounter it when I'm swimming, despite its obvious beauty. I think I'll just stay out of the ocean and swim in pools. Anyway, no particular reason to show you these, except I like the pictures. 'Nuff said.

Oh, wait, I know why I'm showing the jellyfish. Well, aside from the fact that I like the picture, my nephew Sam didn't believe me when I said I'd made killer pictures of the jellyfish. That's because he either didn't remember being with me at the aquarium or he was just too young to be aware of what it was I was doing at the time, despite the fact that he was standing right next to me. Sam's a college graduate now, so there!
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Brickyard: Canon EOS-5DII, 70~200/2.8 Canon Zoom Lens EF L Ultrasonic, ISO 100
Winstead: Nikon F, 10.5cm/2.5 Nikkor Lens, Kodak Panatomic X
Pizza: Nikon F3HP, 180/2.8 Nikkor Lens, Kodachrome 64 Professional
Jellyfish: Canon EOS-1N, 70~200/2.8 Canon Zoom Lens EF L Ultrasonic, Fujichrome Provia

Take The Last Train To Clarksville

2010-08-05T06:39:00.004-04:00

Well... we're a month or so into the crowd-sourcing experiment by Domino's Pizza. The idea was, as shown on their television commercial, that Domino's pizza is so good they don't need professional photographers to shoot their ads, why not just send in your best snapshot of a Domino's pizza? Guess what? Judging by the pictures that have been sent in, the last thing I think of eating after looking at them is..... pizza!

The worst of them all, is the one above taken by a contributor in Clarksville, Tennessee. My favorite, for the imagination shown, is the one below. But it still doesn't want to make me eat Domino's pizza. Crowd-sourcing isn't the way to go for food ads!

And there's one more thing, as long as we're talking about Domino's. I've lived in large metropolitan areas all my life, New York City and Chicago, with lots of pizzerias in both locations. Why in the world would you order a pizza from Domino's? Aren't there any Italians where you live?

Dangerous Photographer "Nailed" By Amtrak

2010-07-29T06:45:00.005-04:00

Another dangerous photographer has been arrested while doing his thing, this time by Amtrak. According to the New York Times, Duane Kerzic, a semi-professional photographer and NPPA member was arrested by the Amtrak police while making pictures of trains at New York's Penn Station. His sinister purpose: attempting to win Amtrak's Picture Our Train photo contest. The arrest, which occurred in 2009, resulted in a law suit that has finally been settled for a five figure sum and the removal of Kerzic's web page criticizing Amtrak for the arrest.

I've written about the harassment and arrests of photographers across the UK and the USA many times, most recently about a local wire-tapping statute that has been used against photographers in Chicago as well as the arrest and trial of a photographer in Los Angeles who was photographing a personal project story on vandals spray-painting graffiti.

Photography is not a crime!

Political satirist Stephen Colbert skewered Amtrak for the Kerzic arrest (watch the video) saying that Amtrak has historically, "protected riders from their destinations," and, "this photography contest is Amtrak’s cleverest ruse since their so-called timetable."

Seeing Beyond The RAW Capture

2010-07-28T06:09:00.000-04:00

Every time I hear somebody say, Just give us raw files, we'll take care of the digital processing, I want to cringe. I never deliver RAW files to my clients, and it's not because I want to charge them for digital post-production, it's because their guy can't possibly know what I saw when I made the image, nor can he interpret my files to match my vision... and my vision is why my clients commission me to begin with.

Yesterday morning at five o'clock I was standing on the shore of Lake Michigan contemplating the skyline of Chicago's Gold Coast. It was about 70°F and the sky was clear, and though it's a relatively low temperature considering our recent weather, the 90% humidity and the hike from where my car was parked to the location where I was standing, with a 40 pound pack, had me slightly sweaty.

The sky was already starting to brighten and I'd hoped to be shooting by then but I was delayed trying to make sense of Chicago's Byzantine parking regulations (reading those signs at 5:00 AM can make you want to turn around and go back home!), so I hustled through my set-up and started shooting right away. By 5:20 AM I'd made my best picture already but I hung around for sunrise and made some more. By 6:05 AM, sixty seven frames later, I was on my way to the office to start processing my take.

Sunrise was gorgeous by the way, but I wasn't feeling all that good about the shoot, especially as the images started displaying on my monitor as they were imported from the camera. They looked kind of dull and grey, not at all what I'd seen. It took a little color correction and enhancement in Aperture, and then some perspective correction, distortion correction (all zoom lenses exhibit pin-cushion distortion) and cloning in Photoshop, before the image would match my vision... what I saw in my head was more attractive than what I saw with my eyes, and that takes a little work that only I can do.

I think you can tell which is the before and which is the after.
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Both above: Canon EOS-5D Mark II, 28~105/3.5~4.5 Canon EF Ultrasonic lens, ISO 100

The Greatest Art Director Ever?

2010-07-17T06:32:00.003-04:00

We can have a very long debate over who is the greatest art director to ever live. There are any number of legends who've been recognized as being pivotal to advertising, magazine, annual report, book, even web design. I'm not going to make any pronouncements, but an art director I'd worked with a few years ago, Akira Mabuchi, is so astute that he's right at the top of my list

It was just about this time a few summers ago that I'd gone out to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to photograph a story on the Steelcase corporate headquarters. It was a four day shoot and I made a lot of pictures. Mabuchi didn't speak English very well and he didn't have too much to say to me. Most of my conversation was with his colleague, Osamu Kubota, the magazine's editor (Kubota spoke English just fine). Anyway, there wasn't much direction except to discuss what I'd shoot, not how I'd shoot it.

Mabuchi mostly hung around in the background observing, taking notes, and I wasn't paying too much attention as I was busy, busy, busy. On the morning of the last shoot-day, he handed me a sheet of paper on which he'd made some sketches of what I'd shot and what he'd like to see that I hadn't shot. For a guy who never looked through the camera, he was remarkably accurate in sketching my pictures. I was so blown away that I kept the page with his sketches (sbove) and have it hanging on the wall, framed, in my office. I continue to be inspired by it.

I'm Speechless!

2010-07-12T05:50:00.005-04:00

On Sept. 24, 2009, I announced... "after three months of talking to myself and three days of mind-numbing, eye-straining, blindness-inducing, brain-busting html coding..... voilà: pobereskin.com v3.0 It's about time!" Who'd have thought that after less than a year I'd undertake the same project again?

Now announcing the launch of pobereskin.com v4.0

As last time, the major change was to make the portfolio images much, much larger; maintain constant navigation; maintain quick as a flash image loading; etc..... except this time Bob Greenberg, photographers.com CEO, made this so easy I'm speechless... and that's saying something!

Copyright Keepers Earn 33% More Than Those Who Give It Away

2010-07-08T05:48:00.005-04:00

A recent report on the EP/UK web site quotes a new survey by the British Photographic Council which, among other things, shows that, "photographers who follow industry best practice on (retaining) copyright earn on average 33% more a year than those who routinely give their copyright to their clients."

I think I've probably mentioned this before. If not here, on a photography forum or two (or maybe three), that photographers who cede their copyright interests... give all rights to the client... leave a lot of money on the table. Clients who require all rights in your images ought to be charged a lot more. Add zeroes is typically my advice.

The request for outright ownership is becoming more and more common. Theoretically it's not a problem, but in reality that request is usually made for all rights at the same price as limited rights, a big problem, because the client can usually find a short-sighted photographer who will acquiesce to their demand.

So... add zeroes. Practically, if you would charge, say $1,200 to shoot a job with limited rights then you should charge $120,000 for (lack of a better term) a buyout.

My experience over 24 years in business as a photographer has shown me the earning power of a great image. Consider that an image in a stock collection, long-term, can be used by a variety of clients in a variety of industries in a variety of geographic areas and languages in a variety of media, etc, etc... it all adds up to what one client might do with a given image over the same period of time.

Look at the pictures shown here. Do they look like blockbuster images to you? I made these for the Tokyo Electric Power Company corporate magazine, Illume, in July, 1989. It was a four day shoot on location. I charged TEPCo $750/day plus two travel days (plus production charges) to do the shoot. They could use as many of the images from the take as they wanted in one issue of their magazine, one-time rights.

While on-location, a representative from the subject company asked the magazine's editor, who owns these pictures? He was inquiring about using the images after the magazine was published. I jumped right into that conversation saying, I own the images.

From that shoot, the two images here became best-sellers, each earning me a substantial six figure sum over the past 21 years... hence, add zeroes!

Remember Chuck O'Rear? He made what he thought was a good but not necessarily spectacular image of a grassy knoll with a cloud overhead in a clear blue sky. It was eventually sold (all rights) to Microsoft to promote their Windows software product for a very hefty sum of money, if my memory is correct about $135,000. That's what all rights is worth, maybe even more. Add zeroes!

Take a lesson from our colleagues from across the pond: keep your copyright, it's worth big money.

Independence Day 2010

2010-07-03T05:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-01T05:43:00.001-04:00

No Complaints

2010-06-24T06:37:00.002-04:00

Look at that cover, it doesn't really look anything like my original. Sometimes I just want to complain about print quality, color fidelity, etc, etc, but this was licensed through Mira...
and I got paid. No complaints!

Who Speaks For The Birds?

2010-06-15T06:08:00.003-04:00

I can't escape it, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in the Gulf of Mexico, is everywhere. Every network, not just cable news channels, devotes the major part of their news broadcasts to the spill.

Whether it's a live feed from the seabed of oil just gushing out of the blowout preventer or it's shovelers on the shore, BP executives lying to Congress or some poor bird lying oil-soaked on a beach, an idle fisherman, the President or Billy Nungesser (or Bobby Jindal or Haley Barbour) grousing about the slow progress of clean-up and the loss of tourist dollars... I simply cannot watch any more news.

My dad used to quip (when one of my brothers or I had taken more food than we could eat): "A funny bird, the pelican. His beak can hold more than his belly can!"

My problem is that I've photographed pelicans in the wild and to see them covered in Louisiana Sweet Crude, getting a sponge bath so they can live a few more days (they usually die, even after being cleaned), makes me sick to my stomach. Have you ever seen a pelican fish? They're amazing! Who speaks for the birds? Not Haley Barbour, not Charlie Crist.

But there's an 11 year old girl living on Long island in New York, Olivia Bouler, who wrote to the National Audubon Society, fairly distraught over the plight of the birds she saw on television. "I am a decent drawer," she wrote, "and I was wondering if I could sell some bird paintings and give the profits to your organization." So she began sending original bird illustrations to donors who contribute to oil spill relief efforts.

She has a Facebook page that I'd like you to visit, and help her raise some money to save the birds.

Photography Is Not A Crime! Everyone Go Out And Shoot A Cop!!

2010-06-14T06:20:00.006-04:00

I have to say at the outset that I have enormous respect for police officers. They have a tough job and they're, pretty much, walking targets. My little brother (right) was one of New York's Finest (he still is, in my opinion) so don't take the title literally or I'll be coming after you. I am, however, disturbed by a recent trend that's emerging, primarily in the United Kingdom, of photographers being arrested for making photographs.

Though I do a fair amount of editorial work I wouldn't call myself a photojournalist. Photographing feature stories for magazines isn't the same as going off to a war zone (actually done that!) or covering the White House. Just the same, I'm convinced that deep inside each of us, wedding photographers too, is a reporter, a photojournalist.

When I was a student I had the privilege of being Editor-In-Chief of my college's newspaper and I'm familiar with, and a big fan of, the first amendment, the one that guarantees freedom of the press. Here's what I learned.

Opposition to the ratification of the Constitution was partly based on the Constitution's lack of adequate guarantees for civil liberties. To provide such guarantees, the First Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, was adopted on December 15, 1791. It reads..... "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So, you can imagine my surprise when I read an article on gizmodo.com that this trend is emerging here, too. "In at least three states, it is now illegal to [photograph] any on-duty police officer." The article continues, "The legal justification for arresting the 'shooter' rests on existing wiretapping or eavesdropping laws, with statutes against obstructing law enforcement sometimes cited. Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland are among the 12 states in which all parties must consent for a recording to be legal unless, as with TV news crews, it is obvious to all that recording is underway. Since the police do not consent, the camera-wielder can be arrested."

This is outrageous! Photographers are not terrorists.

One of my colleagues, Marcus Maddox, was admonished not to photograph an on-duty police officer at the Taste Of Randolph street festival here not long ago. He was actually complimenting an officer on the immaculate condition of her kevlar vest, asked to photograph her... he asked politely... and she produced a card quoting an obscure city ordinance prohibiting the photographing of police officers. He had an easier time photographing the police in Hanoi. "You can't spit without tripping over a cop in Hanoi," he said. "They actually posed for me, but here in Chicago? No wonder the rest of the world is confused about America."

Attempts to restrict our first amendment rights need to be loudly opposed, even when made by state/local governments, which reminds me of this... There's another interesting law known as the 14th Amendment. Though the main focus of the 14th is to define citizenship and the apportionment of representatives, its Due Process provision effectively prohibits states from withholding rights granted by the US Constitution. In other words, if the first amendment guarantees your right to photograph whoever, wherever, whenever; the fourteenth amendment guarantees that no state (or municipality) can enact a law which takes that first amendment right away from you.

Certainly, this is about police officers being caught, "on film" as it were, engaging in misconduct. If that's the case (what else can it be?), maybe the police shouldn't be engaging in misconduct.

Flag Day Is June 14th

2010-06-13T08:19:00.008-04:00

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Canon EOS-1N, 70~200/2.8 Canon Zoom Lens EF L Ultrasonic, Fujichrome Provia 100

I'm On The Road To Find Out

2010-06-01T05:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Memorial Day and I wanted to do something more than barbecue, so I did a little research on military cemeteries and found that the closest one to me (in Illinois) is the Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, about two and a half hours south of here. I thought that was going to be a little far to drive to shoot rows of flags and headstones in uncertain light (rain was forecast), and being a holiday I really didn't want to wake-up at two o'clock in the morning. I also discovered Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee, about an hour away, and so I mapped a route there. Still, I wasn't keen on waking-up at three o'clock and I was wracking my brain for an alternative when I remembered that Fort Sheridan has a cemetery and it's only twenty minutes away. I could wake-up at four o'clock and be there before sunrise without breaking a sweat.

Good move not driving down to Elwood. I later learned that President Obama was going to be speaking there and, in retrospect, there was little likelihood of my getting anywhere near the place on short notice. Also, he got absolutely drenched in the torrential downpour that eventually ensued and I wasn't up for getting wet, either.

Fort Sheridan turned out to be the perfect compromise: close-by, sleep-in, okay light and I was home with about five minutes to spare before it really started pouring. Coffee at my desk... priceless!

Not a bad shoot, but something struck me as I made my pictures. Two months ago I was driving across Connecticut, having survived the flood in Providence, Rhode Island (the day before), when I passed a farm that had an awful lot of crosses planted in the field in front of the farmhouse, close to the road. It was a striking scene and, despite the heavy overcast, I stopped to photograph it. I spent only a few minutes there, but it's been in the back of my mind for the two months since because I really don't know what it means. Yesterday, it was brought to the fore by one of my compositions in the cemetery and now I have questions.....

Is it a memorial? To whom? Fallen soldiers in our recent incursions into Iraq and Afghanistan? A protest? Against what? Anti-war or pro-life? Maybe the Catholic church? Religion in general? What is it? Do you know?

Hit The Road, Jack

2010-05-28T06:24:00.000-04:00

This Week Is "Fleet Week" In NYC

2010-05-26T05:46:00.001-04:00

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Above: Nikon F3HP, 300mm/f4.0 Nikkor lens, Kodachrome 64 Professional film

Deja Vu All Over Again Part IV - This Day In History 1980

2010-05-18T05:45:00.002-04:00

With a volcano erupting in Iceland and screwing-up air travel all across northern Europe, it's perhaps apropos that I tell a volcano story. It's really hard to resist and this one, this story, well, "It's deja vu all over again," as Yogi Berra used to say. This is an old story.....

It was a beautiful, clear, sunny Sunday 30 years ago today. I was fast asleep in a motel astride Route 20, The North Cascade Pass. I was, at that time, First Assistant to Klaus Lucka (heard of him before, have you? See This Could Be The Start Of Something Big) and we'd been on the road about two weeks as he was shooting an ad campaign for Raleigh Lights cigarettes.

This was a big shoot. We had a large crew including a stylist, two models, another assistant/location scout (Mark Scott out of Los Angeles), a truck driver, a brand new custom painted Kenworth tractor and Freuhoff trailer, three cars, the art director, a couple of account people, a couple of guys from Raleigh, Klaus and myself..... and we were all sleeping in that morning, or so we thought.

I was rudely awakened by a loud knock on my motel room door, sounded urgent. Mark and I woke up (I was sharing a room with Mark) and I went to the door and opened it. I honestly expected to see Klaus there to inform me that 8:00 AM was sleeping in enough but instead I was standing there in the open doorway, in my underwear, looking at a parking lot devoid of life. I went back to bed.

A couple of minutes later we were again awakened by the same knocking. This time we both jumped up and went to the door as the knocking was louder and more urgent sounding. This time Mark and I were both standing in the open doorway in our underwear looking at the parking lot but this time, so was everyone else!

Well, something was obviously happening so we got dressed and went to the restaurant for breakfast (I guess 8:00 AM is late when you're used to waking up at 4:00) and that's when we learned that Mt. St. Helens had blown her top... about 300 miles west of our position. We woke the rest of the crew and had a quick meeting over blueberry pancakes to decide what to do. The plan was to head west but that was certainly out of the question, so we drove east instead as Mark had scouted some good alternate locations near Spokane.

Well, we didn't get very far, only to Grand Coulee where the Washington State Police had closed the highway, it was snowing gray volcanic ash. We found another motel with some vacant rooms and checked-in for an unscheduled stopover (funny, two weeks earlier we got snowed in at the Government Lodge atop Mt. Hood in Oregon).

The game of the day was collecting ash in empty film cans along Route 20. An occasional truck would blow by us as we did our thing in the middle of the road (top picture). It was inconvenient as far as the shoot was concerned but we were collecting the coolest souvenirs to bring back home.

I don't know about Mark, but later on I was giving away little cans of volcanic ash left and right. We spent a few weeks in Los Angeles after the Raleigh shoot to work another cigarette campaign and my cousin Mo and his wife Barb were living in Westwood at the time, so they got the first can. It really was a popular souvenir and I was bummed because I inadvertently misplaced a vial I'd saved for myself. Many years later I was married with a child and I told him about Mt. St. Helens, and also that I had a vial of ash around here somewhere.

Fortunately for me, Mo is better at holding on to things than I am because twenty years later I was in his living room in Cape Elizabeth, Maine (he moved) with my seven year old and three year old boys and finally I could prove that I wasn't daft: I had saved some ash... here, look at Mo's!!

My son, Alex (now twelve), found my vial of ash in a shoebox in my closet on July 8, 2006, the day I first posted this story.

Two Cures For The No Budget Blues

2010-05-14T08:34:00.007-04:00

Back in the mid-1980s, when all the established bands were reinventing themselves for the disco scene, The Kinks, seeking to capitalize on the wave released a single called Superman. As that soared to the top of the charts, they released an album which contained a song called Low Budget in which the protagonist sings: Cheap is small and not too steep, But best of all cheap is cheap, Circumstance has forced my hand, To be a cut price person in a low budget land.

Almost thirty years later many of our clients are still singing that song, but they've added one more line (as if cheap is cheap is not enough): "oh, we're a non-profit." The implication, of course, is that they have no money and they want you to do the job for free. Like if you do it for free you'll have money?

I remember the first non-profit I ever worked for: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Yes, that Lincoln Center. They wanted me to shoot the cover of their annual report for free. This was one of my very first jobs, and the designer, Linda Florio, warned me in advance that they were gonna give me the line and not to fall for it, they have money. I charged them, I think, $1500 for that. They loved the image, it won an award, they had me back again the next year.

Not only is this quite popular these days, everyone's writing about it. Earlier in the week it was a topic on the APAnet forum, this morning it surfaced in Blake Discher's blog.

Blake's a very nice guy, and every time he mentions my name my hit counter registers an extra hundred visitors, so I don't mind at all if he quotes me. This morning, he wrote, "I want to give credit where credit is due, but I'm not sure where I picked this up, but it may have been my photo pal Joe Pobereskin or Chicago photographer Marc Hauser."

I want to give credit where credit is due, too: the quote belongs to Marc Hauser.

So, how does Marc deal with non-profits? "I'm glad you called me because I do indeed have a special fee set up for charities such as yours. I shoot for half price, and here's how it works. We'll work together for your next six photo projects. The first time, I'm going to charge you 100-percent of my customary fee. The next time, 80-percent. The next time 60-percent. Next 40-percent. The next, 20-percent. And the sixth time, I'm not going to bill you a penny." That's a pretty good plan, over time it works out to half-price.

I, needless to say, have my own plan and here's how mine works.....

If I work for a charity it must be one that I fully support and I charge a fee plus production charges (digital capture and post-production, assistants, taxis, strobe rentals, whatever). We work out an arrangement whereby I donate a large portion of my fee after I've been paid... after I've been paid.

Why? Let's say you shoot for four days for a charitable org. Your fees amount to, I don't know, let's say $6000 and the production charges are another $1200. You send an invoice/license for $7200 and they pay you $7200. You then send your check for $3500 as a donation.

You get invited to dinners with other large donors, make connections, work for your new friends for full fee, you get a tax deduction for your $3500 donation and the charity gets a 75% discount on your fees. You've made money, made some friends who can afford your services for their businesses, enjoy the status of being a big donor which advances your standing in the community and you've actually made some money.

When you work for free the only one who benefits is the charity. They get your work for free. You don't get a tax deduction, don't get the black tie invite, don't get to hobnob (I mean Network) with the glitterati, and most of the time you don't even get a decent tear-sheet, as they haven't a decent printing budget.

So there's two solutions to the same problem. Mine works best when there's one project on the table, but I like Marc's, too. I'm gonna use it next time to see if I can stretch the new relationship a bit.

As Blake said later on, "I want to be seen more than once at the charity's events. Charity fund-raisers almost always yield more clients if you work the room... Introduce yourself, be personable, look professional, and hand out business cards... so far, two charities have taken me up on the offer. The jobs were simple, and actually the benefits were very much worth it. I've managed to get new clients (one major!) and that's resulted in more billings for the studio. Think of the "discount" as part of your advertising budget."
--
Top YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago Annual Report 2009
Bottom Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Annual Report 1991

Copyright, Metadata & What Are You Going To Do About It?

2010-05-05T06:55:00.004-04:00

It occurs to me that in an era where digital publishing is now the norm (more so since Apple introduced the iPad), many photographers are somewhat in the dark as to how they can protect their work as their images are splayed across an increasingly large array of electronic media. The answer is metadata.

The addition of metadata to a digital file is sometimes automatic, sometimes manual, and it's typically a combination of the two, but that all depends on how you structure your workflow. A great guide to get you started can be found at the dpBestflow.org web site. dpBestflow.org (digital photography best practices and workflow) is an ASMP initiative funded by the Library of Congress.

What is metadata? According to the dpBestflow.org glossary..... Commonly defined as “data about data,” metadata is embedded or associated information describing a file’s contents, both technically and conceptually. There are several metadata container formats such as EXIF, IIM, IPTC Core, Dublin Core, DICOM, and XMP. The way metadata is structured is referred to as a schema, an example being IPTC Core which is an standardized structure to hold information about a digital image file, such as authorship details, description, keywords, copyright status, usage, etc. Parametric image editing (PIE) instructions saved in the XMP format are another type of metadata, which is comprised of the image processing parameters from a PIEware application.

How do you use it? In my workflow, images are imported from my cameras' flash memory via Aperture, and it's there that my basic metadata is added (some photographers use a competing software, Lightroom). The most basic data is embedded by my camera and contains information such as the exposure, ISO value, lens used, date and time, etc; then I add copyright, credit, caption, basic keywording and source information to the files as they're imported onto my hard drive. Later on, I add finishing touches to the metadata via various stored templates in Photoshop's File Info (see illustration, above).

Okay, so you already know this? Now, what are you going to do about it? Well, the first thing you ought to do is register your images with the copyright office, but that's not the end of it. Somewhere in the terms & conditions of your delivery or invoice should be a notice that you require the integrity of your metadata to be maintained.

"I often advise my photographer clients to put a notice provision right in their contracts and license agreements," says John Grant, a Seattle attorney. "Something to the effect of: it is both a breach of contract and a violation of 17 USC 1202 to remove metadata without my prior written consent. That way," Grant continues, "if they do remove your data, you potentially have a couple of ways to try to remedy it."

Realizing the implications of a possible Orphan Works amendment to the Copyright Act, I've been doing something similar on my licenses for a couple of years now, hopefully lessening the prospects of my own images becoming orphaned in the vastness of the Internet (see above). You should be doing it, too.

Luck, Vigilance & Ineptitude

2010-05-04T05:05:00.004-04:00

Had it not been for the awareness of a tee-shirt vendor, had the would-be bomber not been inept, New Yorkers (all of us!) might not have been so lucky Saturday evening.

Watching news reports of the attempted bombing of Times Square from the comfortable remoteness of my Chicagoland living room it occurred to me that I've stood on the spot where the Nissan Pathfinder was parked. Had it been a couple of days ago rather than a couple of years ago, had the guy actually known how to make a bomb, I might have been standing right there and been blown to bits while making this picture.

Timing is everything.
--
Canon EOS-1N, 20~35/2.8 Canon Zoom Lens EF L Ultrasonic, Fujichrome Provia 100

Bombardier & Brew (Talk About Needing A Drink!)

2010-04-20T05:27:00.011-04:00

Squeezing into a small commuter jet before six o'clock in the morning may be some people's idea of an exciting life of luxury travel but it isn't mine. Nonetheless I had to arrive in Philadelphia fairly early Friday morning to attend the Spring 2010 meeting of ASMP's Board of Directors, of which I am now one.

No good deed goes unpunished, I'm told and after three long days of non-stop board meetings dealing with inside baseball and a thorny issue or two I'm so glad to be back in my own office attending to my own photography business.

Luckily, Todd Joyce, one of my fellow ASMP Directors, found the time to brew & bottle his own ale which he air-freighted to Philadelphia a couple of days earlier so it would be cold for the evening session.

Pretty good job of branding, too.

Too many e-mails, too much food, not enough sleep..... Talk about needing a drink!

Congratulations Stop43... Big Win For UK Photographers

2010-04-08T06:10:00.002-04:00

GOOD NEWS! Orphan works defeated in UK!!

http://stop43.org.uk/

Reported by Bob Croxford on STOCKPHOTO.net.....

With help from many campaigners who wrote, emailed and tweeted MPs, Clause 43 of the Digital Economy Bill has withdrawn last night. Special thanks should go to Paul Ellis and others of Stop43.org.

Jeremy Nicholl's Blog was quoted in the debate. Can be seen in Hansard at column 876. (click link... http://tinyurl.com/ydkv3zy)

More from The Register

(They could take a leaf out of the Stop43 group's successful campaign. Rather than trying to get their names in the papers as Freedom Fighters, using enviro-scare tactics, the photographers quietly stopped the bad legislation through rational persuasion and did so with fewer resources - and less time).

Today's Lesson - Lighting A White Still-Life Set

2010-04-01T07:34:00.006-04:00

On one of the pro photo forums some of my correspondents wrote-in asking If I had to shoot on slide film I would use a frosted plexi surface and would have foregone the shadows. How would you have brought the paper backdrop to a clean white 255,255,255 (not just the background "wall" of the sweep, but also the "floor" of the sweep where the products are resting) without blowing out the white and frosted products at the same time. The client wants a clean white with subtle shadows. They are not looking for the frosted plexi look with reflections.

Another of my correspondents wrote-in complaining about my answer to the first guy, saying My client has also specified absolute pure white (in this case for digital applications) like you said below while at the same time keeping the natural shadows immediately around the product to give it weight and depth etc. So please, Joe, how would you light an object in a situation like this? Especially with products that are very close to white themselves and, in addition, may be reflective? He (and myself) was asking for help, advice, information or constructive feedback about this, so please do share.

Okay, now you both owe me a substantial consulting fee.....

You keep the white paper white by not using white paper, you use matte finish white Formica. You don't "sweep" the Formica either, you lay a 48 X 96 inch sheet FLAT on a table made from a 48 X 96 plywood and two sawhorses, light the back with a 4 foot bank and the product/foreground with shoebox banks & reflectors (mirrors). Control your flare with black cards and gobos (shoot with a long lens). Once the surface and the product have been cleaned, handle them only while wearing cotton gloves, every finger print will show.

Proper still-life technique is something most photographers (even my generation) never learned! Best to leave professional photography to professionals, send me checks in the amount of your fee!!

All Things Considered, I'd Rather Be In Philadelphia

2010-03-23T06:30:00.001-04:00

With a card from Frank Flavin and a pie from Leif Skoogfors, I'm Philadelphia bound.

The Art Of War - Avoid The Big Mistake, Don't Ask Me

2010-03-02T06:05:00.001-05:00

People are always asking me what school their children should apply to when they want to become photographers. I always say, "NYU Law!" I'm not joking, I'm serious.

I have an attorney, that should come as no surprise. In the photography business, as in any business, your two most important relationships are with your accountant and your attorney. Your relationships with other photographers are important, too, don't get me wrong, you can learn a lot from other photographers... just not about the tax code or the law.

I had an exchange with an old college friend via Facebook yesterday. He never became a photographer, he went into IT instead (usually it's the other way around, all the unemployed IT guys go into photography, what's up with that?). He, like the other IT guys, still does some photography. He shoots ads for his own little side business, uses both hobbies to make some extra money. Now he's thinking about going into the calendar business and he had a question for me. Following is our exchange. Pay attention, there's an important lesson there for all photographers.....

Him..
Joe ...question about photo releases for property. I have always been under the impression that photos taken from public ground were fair game... in other words if you take a picture of a house or building from a public road you can use it for anything you want. Is that true or are there qualifications I should be aware of? If I make a calendar using run down buildings that I can shoot from the road ...do I need to get permission to use the photos?

Me...
I'm a photographer, not a lawyer, and not qualified to give legal advice. Why don't you ask the attorney you'll hire to defend you when you are sued, for whatever it is that property owners sue for, when you've neglected to obtain a release? That'll be the only relevant opinion. You never ask an attorney how to expose an image or pose a model, why do you ask a photographer about the law? Don't ask photographers for legal advice, it's not smart.

Him...
Joe ...stop being a smart ass. I was asking you as an experienced photographer who may have run across that issue and may know what kind of release is necessary. (oh and also as the president or is it now vice president of your local ASMP.) I am the first to admit that I haven't been working in the field and run across those situations. But you have been and might have seen it. Everyone in a given field has "war stories" about somebody that did that etc.

Me...
I'm not being a smart-ass, I'm being smart! Don't ask me for medical advice either, I'm not a doctor. I'll tell you something I've learned in over 30 years in this biz: you want to take better pictures, ask a photographer; you want legal advice, ask a lawyer. It's stupid to ask a photographer for legal advice, you can take that to the bank.

One more thing... my war stories won't do you a damned bit of good in a court of law. What are you going to tell a judge? Joe Pobereskin, the distinguished jurist, told me it was okay to publish this without a release?

Your lawyer's war stories, the ones about how he won that case or the other, those are the war stories that count.
--
Above: Nikon F3HP, 180mm/f2.8 Nikkor lens, Fujichrome Velvia 50 film

As Long As I'm Living In Illinois.....

2010-02-12T01:33:00.002-05:00

Out And About On Fifth Avenue

2010-01-25T15:47:00.002-05:00

--
Above: Nikon F, 28/2.8 Nikkor Lens, Kodachrome 25

Out And About On Michigan Avenue

2010-01-15T07:28:00.000-05:00

--
Above: Canon EOS-5DII, 300/4.0 Canon Lens EF L Ultrasonic, ISO 100

It's Deja View All Over Again - Part III

2010-01-08T17:30:00.003-05:00

--
Ryerson Conservation Area - Riverwoods, Illinois
Above: Canon EOS-5D, 70~200/2.8 Canon Zoom Lens EF L Ultrasonic, ISO 100

Seeing The Future?

2010-01-07T05:46:00.001-05:00

There's been talk in the computer industry of another innovation from Apple. All the tech sector magazines are abuzz with predictions of an Apple Macintosh tablet... Business Week calls it the Jesus Tablet... to be introduced this Spring, and there have been an equal number of predictions as to what it might look like and what it might do. Apple, as usual, is so tight lipped about it's new products as to not even acknowledge the rumors, but the most credible of these predictions is a proof of concept video made by Sports Illustrated showcasing the next iteration of the magazine and, you guessed it, it's running on the Macintosh tablet!

This is actually great news for photographers as advertising looks like it's finally made its way to the web, and in a manner that enables us to earn real money just like the good old days.

The Danger In Working For Free

2010-01-06T05:42:00.002-05:00

My friend Mark has always loved a movie from the 1960s called Putney Swope and this is one of hs favorite scenes. It's also an excellent illustration of why you should never work for free.

This Day In History, 1969

2009-12-24T11:34:00.004-05:00

"Happy Christmas from John & Yoko"
Times Square, New York City
Christmas Eve 1969
--
Above: Pentax H3v, 55/1.4 Mamiya-Sekor Lens, Kodak Kodalith Film (via Spiratone)

Season's Greetings

2009-12-23T10:07:00.002-05:00

Flights To London Are Cheap These Days

2009-12-20T16:19:00.001-05:00

A Response To The Madison Shooters "On ASMP"

2009-12-16T14:49:00.004-05:00

Largely a rehash of previous posts to this blog, but it obviously needs to be said again.....

It's interesting to me that you all take Scott Highton's e-mailed comments, and share them, as if it were unbiased news reporting on ASMP.

First, let's set the record straight, Scott Highton was never president of ASMP. He did sit on the board of directors for a time and has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get re-elected ever since. It's his lack of success in this regard that drives his commentary.

Like yourself, I've been receiving e-mails from Scott Highton, the California member referenced in the blog post, on various issues. These e-mails from Mr. Highton, a former ASMP director (not former President), contain some pretty wild accusations about the current board's activities. Charges that the current board of directors lied to the membership in seeking a dues increase while sitting on a windfall of $1.3 million, concealing the receipt of the $1.3 million itself, using the money to make illicit payments to each other under the table, that the board is misguided, out of touch with the membership, that they put their own financial interests ahead of [those of the members], that they've (the board) committed tax fraud... oh, the list just goes on and on and on.

Many of you don't really know what to make of all of this. While members know the board's really not made-up of crooks, Mr. Highton's charges seem reasonable somehow. And what about that $1.3 million? Why did we need a dues increase if we have that money? Is Highton right? Have we all been duped? And very recently Highton has enlisted Dick Weisgrau, former Executive Director of ASMP, in his campaign to sling a little more mud as regards tax reporting issues that, stopping just short of making an accusation (why? because libel is a slippery slope), imply criminal behavior.

ASMP members have been enduring the shrill protests of Scott Highton for many years and while his issues vary slightly from year to year they are always presented by Scott in a manner that casts dispersions on the character of our board members and questions their integrity.

Those he accuses in a conspiracy to defraud you are: George Anderson; Richard Anderson (2nd Vice President); Kate Baldwin, Jim Cavanagh (Treasurer); Blake Discher; Chris Hollo; Shawn Henry (Secretary); Todd Joyce (1st Vice President); Bruce Katz ; Richard Kelly (President); Greg Kiger; Peter Krogh; Ed McDonald; Gail Mooney and Thomas Werner (he's previously accused Ben Coleman, Lynne Damianos and Jim Flynn in this conspiracy too).

Scott Highton is the perpetual squeaky wheel. He is never happy, he is always complaining. For a period of time Scott Highton served on the board of directors. His contributions were remembered by one member as, "a series of disasters punctuated by chaos." His latest e-mails are not intended to solve ASMP's problems, they're intended to exaggerate them and to furnish a stage from which he can play a starring role. He loves the spotlight and the attention and he works tirelessly to attack the people who do the real work of ASMP. His rantings and ravings demand our attention and cost us real money. His campaign is relentless and over the past several years has tried to divide ASMP, not strengthen it. Highton is smart enough, and clever enough, to conjure up just enough plausibility to make his presentations sound reasonable, and it's these half-truths... combined with some glaring omissions... that have wrought so much havoc.

I've been an ASMP member since 1972 in three chapters (NY, NJ, Chicago/Midwest) and at three levels (Student, Associate, General), an ASMP volunteer since 1981, New Jersey Chapter President (two terms) and Vice President of the Chicago/Midwest chapter (*your* chapter). One of the great benefits of being involved has been having the opportunity to meet and get to know many of you, our national directors, every one of the people Scott Highton mentions in his e-mails including Scott himself. Being somewhat an insider, I've learned that the people who now lead ASMP at the national level are the most effective leadership I've seen over the years I've been an ASMP member.

ASMP is more productive now than it's ever been. Every one of our directors, every member of our staff and our executive director are hard working, honest people of the highest calibre and with the utmost integrity. It's my distinct pleasure to know and work with them, and to call them my friends.

Is ASMP perfect? No, it is not. Are Highton's accusations true? Not by a long shot! I've found Scott Highton, and this is strictly my opinion, to be disgruntled, jealous and malicious; likely due to his failure to be re-elected to the national board of directors.

To best illustrate how Highton has spent the past few years spreading incendiary rumors about the board's activities is this: Highton claims that the board pled poverty asking for a dues increase while ASMP was receiving a $1.3 million grant. That grant was given with the stipulation that ASMP not use the money for normal operating expenses, so a dues increase was entirely appropriate. Scott knows that the grant is subject to the aforementioned stipulation, yet he's quite vocal in saying that the board is trying to scam the membership. It's an outrageous claim, and like his others, completely without merit.

Another conspiracy Highton alleges is that the Directors authorize ASMP to pay speaking fees to those participating in ASMP educational seminars. He claims that these ASMP members should share their specialized knowledge with the rest of us as volunteers, not paid speakers, and he further claims that your dues payments, your hard-earned money, is going into their pockets.

Of the Directors previously named, only three are on the ASMP lecture circuit. Peter Krogh, Director, presents "Get Your DAM Stuff Together" and for this he is paid not by ASMP but by Microsoft. Blake Discher, Director, presents "I Stink At Negotiating" and "Is Your Web Site making You Money?" For the former, Blake is paid not by ASMP but by Microsoft, and for the latter he is paid not by ASMP but by Adbase & Live Books. Thomas Werner, Director, presents "The Business Of Fine Art Photography" and he is paid by ASMP. One out of three. That's some conspiracy!

Each of these seminars takes two to three days of the presenter's time (includes travel), not to mention the time it took to develop the program. Doing this for 39 chapters consumes approximately 78 days per speaker. That's 78 days away from their businesses and their families. It's worthy of compensation, regardless of who pays them.

Of the other seminars ASMP presents, Paula Lerner & Gail Mooney lead one on Multimedia & Video (paid by ASMP - Gail is a Director, Paula is not), Susan Carr presents "What Do I Charge" (paid by Microsoft - she's not a director) and Judy Herrmann presents "Taking Control Of Your Career" (paid by Microsoft - she's not a director).

Even if all were paid by ASMP, that means that twelve board members who are not also lecturers would have to be involved in a conspiracy authorizing these payments. Well, what do they have to gain from all of this? I'll tell you: nothing!

These are tough times for photographers. Our economy is shrinking, advertisers and editorial outlets are cutting back, fees are spiraling downward. Those leading ASMP's Seminar Series are helping us stay abreast of trends, keep up with changes and teach us how to better compete in the marketplace... and because we're all competitors as well as colleagues, they're teaching us how to compete effectively with themselves. This is above and beyond the call of volunteerism, and as speaking fees and honoraria have become a normal part of their revenue streams, if we prevent them from earning a living they will have little choice but to resign their posts in favor of remaining profitable. That would only do damage to ASMP, and it's not a desirable outcome.

In addition to the speakers, Scott accuses the board of hiring each other to perform other tasks for the Society such as programming, book editing or assignment photography. This has been done in an above board and entirely proper manner, and only when the director was also the best qualified for the job. In fact, Scott Highton himself was hired to do some computer programming for ASMP when he was a national director. There was nothing sinister going on then and there's nothing sinister going on now.

Scott Highton has also served ASMP as an outstanding volunteer in the past but his recent tirades, his tactic of character assassination based on half-truths and innuendo is despicable and reeks of sour grapes, and gravely harms ASMP.

In the last election, Scott Highton proposed a referendum to block a dues increase. ASMP leaders, chosen by members to represent them, are given the opportunity to declare either Pro or Con on pending referenda. Not a single National Director, not one Chapter President (after consulting the chapter directors) declared as Pro on Scott's proposal. Not even Scott's local chapter leadership supported his proposal. Doesn't that tell you something?

Should we be spending our valuable time and resources answering the ridiculous or should we be talking about our future, about how we're going to go about advancing our primary mission of making the world safe for professional photographers?

What can we do about it? Let's make a point of rededicating ourselves to the mission that brought us all together: improving the lot of the working professional photographer. This is what we ought to be discussing. Where have we been, what are we doing, can we do more, where's there room for improvement in what we've done? Let's kick that up a notch.

We can build a better future, a more stable working environment, be better educated both technically and with sound business practices to navigate an increasingly difficult economy, orphan works, and a host of other obstacles. ASMP needs your support now more than ever. Think about that as you weigh your options for the coming year. Your continued membership ensures that the work that's so important to us all can continue unabated.

New Tricks With The EOS-5D Mark II

2009-12-08T01:48:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I put the new camera to it's first real test. Shooting in low light with a long exposure, f8.5 at 2.5 seconds (ISO 100), made the skaters disappear. In fact, the only skaters visible in the ISO 100 frame are the two in yellow coats who, for some reason, were standing still. The other skaters were exposed at ISO 3200 (1/30th second) in subsequent frames and strategically transplanted in the ISO 100 frame using Photoshop, and adding a little more blur to soften the noise resulting from the increased chip sensitivity.
--
Above: Canon EOS-5DII, 70~200/2.8 Canon Zoom Lens EF L Ultrasonic, ISO 100 & 3200

This Day In History, 2003

2009-11-26T00:01:00.002-05:00

--
Above: Canon EOS-1N, 300/4.0 Canon Lens EF L Ultrasonic, Fujichrome Provia 100

ASMP Or Reality TV?

2009-11-23T07:13:00.007-05:00

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time." Abraham Lincoln

If you're an ASMP General Member then it's highly likely that you've been getting e-mails from Scott Highton. These e-mails from Mr. Highton, a former ASMP director, contain some pretty wild accusations about the current board's activities. Charges that the current board of directors lied to the membership in seeking a dues increase while sitting on a windfall of $1.3 million, concealing the receipt of the $1.3 million itself, using the money to make illicit payments to each other under the table, that the board is misguided, out of touch with the membership, that they put their own financial interests ahead of [those of the members], that they've (the board) committed tax fraud... oh, the list just goes on and on and on.

Many ASMP members don't really know what to make of all of this. While members know the board's really not made-up of crooks, Mr. Highton's charges seem reasonable somehow. And what about that $1.3 million? Why did we need a dues increase if we have that money? Is Highton right? Have we all been duped? And very recently Highton has enlisted Dick Weisgrau, former Executive Director of ASMP, in his campaign to sling a little more mud as regards tax reporting issues that, stopping just short of making an accusation (why? because libel is a slippery slope), imply criminal behavior.

I've written about this before and just because Highton's accusations keep getting traction I'm going to write about it again today.

ASMP members have been enduring the shrill protests of Scott Highton for many years and while his issues vary slightly from year to year they are always presented by Scott in a manner that casts dispersions on the character of our board members and questions their integrity.

Scott Highton is the perpetual squeaky wheel. He is never happy, he is always complaining. For a period of time Scott Highton served on the board of directors. His contributions were remembered by one member as, "a series of disasters punctuated by chaos." His latest e-mails are not intended to solve ASMP's problems, they're intended to exaggerate them and to furnish a stage from which he can play a leading role. He loves the spotlight and the attention and he works tirelessly to attack the people who do the real work of ASMP. His rantings and ravings demand our attention and cost us real money. His campaign is relentless and over the past several years has tried to divide ASMP, not strengthen it. Highton is smart enough, and clever enough, to conjure up just enough plausibility to make his presentations sound reasonable, and it's these half-truths... combined with some glaring omissions... that have wrought so much havoc.

I've been an ASMP member since 1972 in three chapters (NY, NJ, Chicago/Midwest) and at three levels (Student, Associate, General), an ASMP volunteer since 1981. One of the great benefits of being involved has been having the opportunity to meet and get to know many of you, our national directors, every one of the people Scott Highton mentions in his e-mails including Scott himself. Being somewhat an insider, I've learned that the people who now lead ASMP at the national level are the most effective leadership I've seen over the years I've been an ASMP member.

ASMP is more productive now than it's ever been. Every one of our directors, every member of our staff and our executive director are hard working, honest people of the highest calibre and with the utmost integrity. It's my distinct pleasure to know and work with them, and to call them my friends.

Is ASMP perfect? No, it is not. Are Highton's accusations true? Not by a long shot! I've found Scott Highton, and this is strictly my opinion, to be disgruntled, jealous and malicious; likely due to his failure to be re-elected to the national board of directors.

To best illustrate how Highton has spent the past few years spreading incendiary rumors about the board's activities is this: Highton claims that the board pled poverty asking for a dues increase while ASMP was receiving a $1.3 million grant. That grant was given with the stipulation that ASMP not use the money for normal operating expenses, so a dues increase was entirely appropriate. Scott knows that the grant is subject to the aforementioned stipulation, yet he's quite vocal in saying that the board is trying to scam the membership. It's an outrageous claim, and like his others, completely without merit.

Should we be spending our valuable time and resources answering the ridiculous or should we be talking about our future, about how we're going to go about advancing our primary mission of making the world safe for professional photographers?

Let's make a point of rededicating ourselves to the mission that brought us all together: improving the lot of the working professional photographer. This is what we ought to be discussing. Where have we been, what are we doing, can we do more, where's there room for improvement in what we've done? Let's kick that up a notch.

To that end I'm announcing my candidacy for election to the ASMP board of directors in 2010. Over the years I've worked hard to advance photographers' interests as an ASMP chapter Director, a Chapter Vice President (Chicago/Midwest) and a Chapter President (New Jersey); as well as a principal founder of another trade association, SAA, which my friends and I built from the ground up.

We can build a better future, a more stable working environment, be better educated both technically and with sound business practices to navigate an increasingly difficult economy, orphan works, and a host of other obstacles. I'm asking for your vote in the upcoming election so that the work that's so important to us all can continue unabated, and I'll appreciate your support.

Why Don't I Drive A Prius?

2009-11-17T06:33:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that I haven't had much to say the past month or so. Some have speculated that I fell victim to the H1N1 flu and wasn't up to writing, others thought I stayed in NYC after PhotoPlus Expo and took up residence in an SRO hotel sans wi-fi. Actually, it's nothing more than writers' block. It happens from time to time. The fact that I haven't written doesn't mean I have nothing to say.

During my hiatus I've been searching for a villain in the Toyota 4Runner/flickr.com scandal, where Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles (Toyota's ad agency) linked to the images of some photographers with flickr.com galleries and made the images appear to be part of Toyota's mini-site. The problem is not that Saatchi & Saatchi didn't have permission to use the images, the problem is that with all their many years of experience Saatchi knows they have to pay the artists whose work appears in their ads, they've been doing it for years. The result is that Toyota got a black eye and appears to be a villain. After all, the Saatchi name is nowhere to be found on the web site, all anyone sees is the Toyota name so Toyota must be the villain.

The flap began when Michael Calanan, a Denver photographer, learned through a comment on his flickr.com page that one of his images of a couple of bears walking down a trail had appeared on the 4Runner mini-site. It was news to him as he'd never been contacted by Toyota. I first learned about this two weeks ago when Mike posted a note on the ASMPproAdvice listserve looking for advice on what to do about it.

"Now I realise [sic] that the first response," Mike wrote, "will likely be 'get a lawyer' but I still want to pose this to the group, both for its sage advice and because I don't have a lot of extra money to invest in retaining a lawyer."

There were a number of replies suggesting that it's his own fault for having a flickr.com page, he was just asking to be ripped-off... blame the victim. Others wanted to know if the subject image had been registered with the Copyright Office and noted that, other people, who have been similarly victimized, have not been able to interest a lawyer since the damages are limited without registration, you're not entitled to statutory damages or attorney's fees.

From my vantage point, and I realize this will not endear me to the advertising community, the villain is the person at Saatchi & Saatchi who made the decision to use the pictures without so much as asking Mike Calanan and the other photographers if they'd be interested in licensing their images for the Toyota site. Toyota was left in the unenviable position of having to apologize via Twitter, where the whole thing went viral, as well as on flickr where they were roundly trashed. Nobody knows if Saatchi & Saatchi fired the professional who caused all the trouble to begin with, and that should have been done very publicly.

In the meantime, it's worth noting that even though Calanan's image wasn't registered he's (as well as the others) not necessarily out of options. Jeff Sedlik, photographer and very generous copyright maven, pointed out the not-so-obvious: "the photographer might not even want to seek statutory damages in this instance. Actual damages and disgorged profits might prove to be a better route, as the photographer may be entitled to profits resulting from car sales resulting from the use of the image." The entirety of Jeff's comment can be read here.

Toyota have removed the infringed images from the 4Runner mini-site and a spokesperson for Saatchi & Saatchi acknowledged that they worked on the campaign and that they're in the process of rectifying the situation, though two weeks have passed and nobody's been paid. I can only imagine a settlement offer might have been made if the photographers had registered their images. Have you found the obvious lesson here?

Birthday Presence

2009-11-16T06:16:00.003-05:00

November has always been my favorite month, all the best stuff seems to happen to me in November. For starters, my birthday is in November... today, in fact... and a happy one it is?

By way of presents, some really good things have come my way. One November morning, in the early days of the world wide web, the New York Times online edition ran a story spotlighting my web site (that gave me good buzz!). A few years later, following the terror attack at the World Trade Center, The Digital Journalist published a couple of my pictures in a story called Seeing The Horror, first-hand accounts by photojournalists on the scene on September 11, 2001.

Being part of The Digital Journalist's story is, thinking about it now, is perhaps my proudest moment in the business. I've been published just about everywhere that means anything to anybody over the years but being included in that group of extraordinary photographers, having the recognition of The Digital Journalist is really gratifying... there's nothing like a magazine about photojournalism, by photojournalists, saying hey, you've made a great picture.

So... what did I get for my birthday today?

Today, on Facebook, the ASMP NY group is closing in favor of a fan page. I joined as a fan, no big deal.

AT&T sent me a note telling me that they're moving (taking away) my two favorite TV channels to the HD Premium Tier effective today. Of course, for another five dollars a month I can get them back. I paid, no big deal.

Also today, I got a note from Dirck Halstead, Editor and Publisher of The Digital Journalist, saying that "Canon, whose market has been impacted by these turbulent times, has decided they can no longer afford to provide their financial backing to The Digital Journalist." This is bad news, this is a big deal!

The Digital Journalist has set-up a PayPal link for their 10,000 readers, and urgently asks for your pledges "so we can continue the work which will help us all. We have never solicited paid subscriptions, but these dire times call for dire measures. If you value The Digital Journalist, this is the time to step up and make a pledge. If enough people do, we may be able to keep The Digital Journalist alive. Consider it as an investment in yourself, and the future."

As far as I'm concerned, The Digital Journalist has been required reading since its inception, whether you're a photojournalist or just a photographer. That hasn't changed. Let's help them survive so it never will change.

It's Deja View All Over Again - Part II

2009-10-23T23:01:00.001-04:00

Day two in New York City for PhotoPlus Expo... it's deja view all over again!

It's Deja View All Over Again

2009-10-23T07:53:00.006-04:00

Back in New York City for PhotoPlus Expo... it's deja view all over again!

There Goes The Neighborhood

2009-10-07T21:16:00.005-04:00

Have you been reading the newspaper or watching television news the last few days? One of the big stories concerning photographers was the demise of Gourmet Magazine, Modern Brides and a few other Condé Nast titles. That means that there's now fewer editorial assignments to go around. It's really bad news, generally, when magazines die, because we lose another window on our world. Forget about the jobs lost (well, almost).

Closer to home, and something you're not likely to read about in the newspaper or see on television network news programs, is the rumour I heard today. Actually, it's more than a rumour because I heard it from a highly knowledgeable source. Still, a rumour because I haven't confirmed it with a second source but you can almost take it to the bank: one of our favorite photography magazines has told its staff that they're being furloughed three days a month to cut expenses, which amounts to, roughly, a ten percent pay cut for them. Hard to imagine that they can't make a buck, even with the fast pace of change in the digital world... there's just not enough advertising dollars to go around.

There's other sad news as well. Last Wednesday, Marty Forscher, the legendary camera repairman and inventor of both the motor drive and the Proback Type 108 Fiim Holder for 35mm cameras, passed away in New York. Everyone I know has a great story to tell about Marty, he made that much of an impact on our working lives. He'll be sorely missed.

And, just minutes ago, I learned that my favorite photographer of all time, the venerable Irving Penn, has died this morning at 92.

There goes the neighborhood!

All You Really Need To Succeed: A Copy Of Macworld

2009-09-29T13:23:00.008-04:00

Once again the feud between the pros and the amateurs heats up online. Now the hot topic on APAnet is the article in Macworld which seems to advocate that everyone buy a DSLR and join the ranks of micro-payment stock photographers.

I don't understand all the controversy surrounding this. What's wrong with micro-payment stock has more to do with the amount of money that's paid both for the license and to the photographer than it does with who, specifically, is supplying the photographs.

So what if Macworld tells its readers that they can buy a prosumer DSLR and get into a profitable sideline? That's not a problem for us. Why? Because no matter what market our work serves, there will almost always be an amateur to compete with. This is more true for wedding & party photographers than it is for, say, corporate and advertising photographers... and much less so for photojournalists. It's always been a big problem for stock photographers, even before the digital revolution. Haven't we always had to live with amateur competition?

As a teenage amateur photographer I took a job away from a pro when I accepted an offer to shoot my friend's sister's wedding for $100 (1967). That was waaaaaay before digital, waaaaaay before anyone can do it and waaaaaay before I was even really ready to compete with a professional. Is my crime ameliorated by the fact that, even at that age, I knew where I was going career-wise?

The problem is not who is making pictures but, rather, how they are compensated. Agents used to be called ten percenters because they took an average of ten percent commission for brokering the sale. Now, in the micro-payment stock arena, they get eighty percent. It doesn't matter whether it's eighty percent of $1 or eighty percent of $10,000. Eighty percent is a radically skewed number.

There are also, I hate to remind you, lots of full-fledged professionals participating in micro-payment stock. Do you really think a handful of Macworlders-with-cameras can easily knock a Jack Hollingsworth off his lofty perch? I don't.

Rather than seeing the crisis of our time, I see a crisis of confidence in some of us. Personally, I have no such crisis. I'm confident in my ability to compete. I have talent and experience, which translates into a career based on the same, rather than a sideline dependent upon being lucky enough to pull it off.

An amateur can bury his failures, a professional cannot. Which are you? Think about that, then go out and make pictures.

Oh, just FYI, I responded to Macworld in a letter to the editor.....

I've read your story, "7 tips for selling your photos," by Heather Kelly with great interest. Excellent reporting on a growing segment of the advertising industry. Though Ms. Kelly's article is right on target, there are a few things she left out that your readers may wish to consider.

First - I'd like to point out that Ms. Kelly has erred in calling it, "microstock." The actual name for this piece of the stock photography pie is micro-payment stock. Omitting the word payment from the name does your readers a disservice by creating the impression that there is actually a substantial amount of money to be made in that business, while micro-payment more accurately describes the situation: these companies pay you peanuts for something that is actually very valuable.

Second - It's true that stock photography is not easy money. Having been active in stock photography for more than twenty years (and decidedly not in micro-payment or any form of royalty free stock photography) I can attest to the fact that it is, indeed, very hard work. In fact, it's a business, and success cannot be achieved as a sideline to your day job. It takes a very strong commitment and about sixty-plus hours a week to achieve success as a stock photographer. It also is not quite as simple as buying a good DSLR camera and getting, out of the chair, [leaving] the house, and [seeking] out new settings and subjects.

Third - Let's not discuss your cat. Let's discuss real business issues such as major investments (and reinvestment every 18 months) in powerful computers, expensive software, expensive cameras & lenses, expensive lighting equipment, travel expenses, insurance, permits, legal advice, accounting, etc, etc... all necessary for stock (even micro-payment stock) photographers.

Fourth - Look at the best sellers from the micro-payment stock companies (let's not call them agencies because they're not agencies): these are all, without exception, images with very high production value. This is not something one does in one's spare time, not when attempting to earn 12% of a license that's usually priced at $5.00 or less in a volume necessary to equal real money.

I could likely write an entire book on what it takes to be a successful stock photographer (in fact, I am) so I'll stop here, but my point is this: Ms. Kelly's article was far too short, way too simplistic and unfairly raises the hopes of your readers to unrealistic levels, much less giving them an accurate picture of what they can expect to earn in micro-payment stock photography.

Joseph Pobereskin
Photographer
Director, ASMP Chicago/Midwest Chapter
Immediate Past President, ASMP New Jersey Chapter
Founder, Stock Artists Alliance

Done..... whew!

2009-09-24T02:24:00.007-04:00

After three months of talking to myself and three days of mind-numbing, eye-straining, blindness-inducing, brain-busting html coding..... voilà: pobereskin.com v3.0 It's about time!

The major change was to make the portfolio images much, much larger; maintain constant navigation; maintain quick as a flash image loading; update all the internal links; eliminate the registration page (don't applaud all at once!); change the front page image and eliminate the membership badges. Now all that's left is some minor housekeeping to sweep up the bugs and enlarge all of the collection images and link them to my stock photo site..... it will all happen within the next week and by October 1st I will have it all 100% working.

If you're inclined to inspect and if you catch a bug, please shoot me an e-mail right away so I can fix it ASAP.

What's The Frequency, Dan?

2009-09-14T07:06:00.002-04:00

The past few days we've seen cool mornings with a heavy fog here in Chicagoland and as I walked to the corner to get my Sunday NY Times yesterday I noticed that leaves were already dropping from some of the trees. In the land of endless winter, the fact that this was occurring a full week before the calendar officially turns to Autumn really didn't surprise me.

I remembered that a few years ago, still living in New York City, I'd wanted to make a trip to Vermont to catch the fall colors but, because of a busy schedule, I was unable to get away. Instead, I headed off to the Upper East Side to make pictures of rush hour traffic. Being that the color of rush hour on New York streets is predominantly yellow (taxis) and red (brake lights), I was inspired to scan and manipulate the image to imitate the fall colors I was missing by not taking the ride to Vermont. It turned-out to be a good idea for a city boy.
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Canon EOS-1N, 600/4.0 Canon Lens EF L Ultrasonic, Fujichrome Provia 100 film

Web 3.0 ...or, If You're Ever In Vancouver

2009-09-13T06:56:00.000-04:00

The big buzzword about the Internet these days is Web 2.0... like that's really happening. Let me tell you something about the Internet: if they're talking about it in magazines and at lectures and forums it's already happened, it's over! Web 2.0? Nope, I'm here to tell you we're now at Web 3.0! Quick..... somebody put me on the lecture circuit before my expertise lapses.

Anyway, you all know me, you know I want to be where it's happening, I want to be on the cutting edge. Hey, I'm into all sorts of social media networks now: LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook and... something I started with a couple of months ago... flickr. I like flickr. flickr is cool, flickr is hip, flickr is where the younger ADs and editors are looking for pictures these days. Using flickr is so 3.0!

Well, I met the younger, cooler, hipper set. No, not ADs and editors... Thieves who think they're younger, cooler, hipper ADs and editors.

I've got to stop here for a moment and bring you up to speed on a new Internet business model. According to Mark Cuban in this week's issue of Newsweek (you know Cuban, don't you? Internet entrepreneur, owner of the Dallas Mavs and the HDNet cable network?), well Cuban thnks the only way to really make money on the internet is to stop what he calls aggregators from linking to your content. Cuban says you have to tightly control your content to keep others from monetizing your content (capitalizing on your work) so you can monetize your content.

So, back to my rant... just about the time I was reading Cuban's article in Newsweek my web site access log told me that someone had found my web site by searching a common misspelling of my name. I ran the search out of curiosity, to see what you get when you misspell my name, and guess what? There's a whole bunch of links to web sites illegally using my pictures and giving me a misspelled photo credit for the unauthorized use. Typically, the credit reads photo courtesy of poberskin.

I got a good laugh out of that because for a photo to be courtesy of, somebody has to have done the courtesy of asking me for permission. (or they could pay me)

My friend Eliot once told me to let them steal all they want, then I could sue them. The problem is that most of these people don't have any money to sue for, and the one that does is in Canada! How the hell am I going to bring a copyright infringement suit in freakin' Canada?? No, I just reset my permissions so that nobody can see, or link to, my pictures on flickr.com, I've gone dark.

I made the small frys take my pictures down, got the big fish in Canada to do the same. The Canadian magazine guys were such thieves that they were obviously stealing all their pictures from flickr pages, even the stuff in their print edition.... it all disappeared from the web, including the cover of the current issue of the magazine, Westworld. Well, if I can't sue them at least I can out them!

So, if you're ever in Vancouver and you're driving down the road and you see a car with a BCAA... British Columbia Automobile Association... sticker, flip 'em the bird for me!

Location, Location, Location... The Donald Sure Can Pick 'Em!

2009-09-12T06:28:00.002-04:00

Trump Tower on the Chicago River
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Above: Canon EOS-5D, 15/2.8 Canon Fisheye Lens EF, ISO 100

September 11, 2009

2009-09-11T08:46:00.001-04:00

Don't Tell Me..... Summer's Over Already?

2009-09-02T22:52:00.006-04:00

I don't know what to make of the weather, I'm thinking it's all a cruel joke. The Chicago winter (when it snowed at least every other day from November to the end of March) seemed to last until July, then it warmed up just a bit. I used my air conditioning for only three days in August and, now, September 2nd feels like late October. So, what? Summer's over already?

One of the things I like best about summer is going to the farmer's market and buying fresh, organic produce. Is that ending now too?

I guess I got the last good carrots of the season at the Deerfield Farmer's Market last Saturday. It's going to be a long winter!

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Carrots: Canon EOS-5D, 28~105/3.5~4.5 Canon EF Ultrasonic lens, ISO 100

Wait A Minute, That's NOT A Corn Field!!

2009-08-16T15:34:00.007-04:00

I took a road trip with my sons a couple of weeks ago and one of the most interesting things we saw as we crossed Michigan on US12 was acres and acres, miles and miles, of corn fields. I kept thinking that Americans sure grow a lot of corn. Then I started thinking about how we use all that corn.

Corn syrup for our pancakes (well, except for me, I like maple) and hi-fructose corn syrup to sweeten everything from Coke and Pepsi to Heinz Ketchup to candy bars. The cows and pigs and chickens we eat are fattened-up on corn. We pop it to take into the movies. We pump it into our cars as more and more of our gasoline is 10% ethanol... from corn, naturally. Corn starch, corn meal, corn muffins. Not to mention that we eat a lot of plain old corn, like on the cob at so many summer barbeques. Man alive, corn is everywhere. We're all going to turn into ears of corn if we're not careful. And about half a mile from my house, there's a corn field that's about to be converted to condos, if the signs are to be believed.

So I'm having a hard time feeling sorry for another corn field about to be converted to town houses, and that's just what I was feeling as I exited Lake Cook Road to turn up Milwaukee Avenue yesterday, just before sunset. That's when I noticed something very strange: that corn field I wasn't feeling sorry for, that plot of nature about to become condos that I wasn't pining over was beautifully backlit in the glow of an approaching sunset... and it was a gorgeous, golden, yellow color. That's when it hit me... that's no corn field, it's sunflowers!

Screech went the brakes, flash went the hazard lights, open flew the car door, up jumped the photographer, pop went the trunk and out came the tripod. On went the digital camera, plugged-in went the remote switch and buzz went the bumble-bee... frozen at 1/1000 of a second as snap went the shutter. Another case of you don't see if you're not looking.
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Sunflowers - Canon EOS-5D, 70~200/2.8 Canon Zoom Lens EF L Ultrasonic, ISO 100

Now We Can All Go On Vacation!!

2009-08-09T09:10:00.007-04:00

I should never go away on vacation... never! Ever since I started blogging, something important, something I should be writing about, happens. This time, in the three weeks I budgeted for myself this year, Sony introduced it's PartyShot robotic photographer. It works on two AA size batteries so you don't even have to feed it!

From the press release.....

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 5, 2009 – Sony today introduced the Party-shot™ personal photographer (model IPT-DS1)—an innovative camera dock that pans 360 degrees and tilts 24 degrees, automatically detects faces, adjusts composition and takes photos for you.

The Party-shot camera accessory uses the camera's BIONZ™ image processor with its Face Detection and Smile Shutter™ features to take photos without the user needing to snap the shutter button. This device makes it easy to capture more natural expressions and fun, candid moments of you, your family and friends without having to hire a photographer.

“With the Party-shot personal photographer, you no longer have to worry about taking photos when you are with your family or friends,” said Shigehiko Nakayama, manager of the digital imaging accessories business at Sony Electronics. “Party-shot captures candid moments that tell natural life stories and also offers a new style of photography that enriches time with your family and friends.”

Compatible with the DSC-WX1 and DSC-TX1 Cyber-shot® digital cameras, the Party-shot camera accessory is mountable on nearly any tripod, so you can set it up in a convenient location in your home, especially when you are entertaining. With two AA batteries, the Party-shot camera accessory captures photos for up to 11 hours and is portable, so you can enjoy taking pictures outdoors. You can also use an AC adaptor (sold separately).

Pre-orders will begin on August 6, 2009, at www.sonystyle.com/retail and at selected retailers nationwide. The Party-shot camera accessory will be available for about $150 in September at Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail) and at authorized dealers.

Yes friends, it's time to kick back, put your feet up and smoke a big fat one! Now we can all go on vacation!!

This Day In History, 1969

2009-07-20T08:21:00.002-04:00

It was 40 years ago, today, that science fiction became science fact: a man stood on the surface of the Moon. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest photographs ever made. More daring than Robert Capa or Larry Burrows or any photographer to come before him, Neil Armstrong, risking all, traveled to the Moon, posed Buzz Aldrin against a stark landscape and pushed the button. The ultimate uncertainty... will he be able to bring the film home, to Earth?

We all take it for granted that we'll make our pictures and make it back to the lab alive and in one piece. I'd love to know what Neil Armstrong was thinking at this moment.

At The Intersection Of Pickens & Gore - Part II

2009-07-10T06:52:00.001-04:00

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Above: Canon EOS-5D, 15/2.8 Canon Fisheye Lens EF, ISO 100

No Contest Part III - The Art Institute of Chicago Doesn't Get It!

2009-07-09T06:14:00.002-04:00

In mid-May, my ASMP Chicago/Midwest Chapter colleague Marcus Maddox and I took issue with the Art Institute of Chicago regarding the rules to their photography contest celebrating the opening of a new wing. The contest rules, like many others lately, contain insufferable language which amounts to an egregious rights-grab. We see this all the time, it's not unusual to find the corporate world (and their legal departments) seeking to get over on artists. What makes this exceptional is that it's an art museum seeking to get over on artists!!

The rules state: By entering the Contest, entrant grants Sponsors the non-exclusive, royalty-free, and irrevocable right to use, reproduce, copy, publish, display, distribute, perform, translate, adapt, modify, and otherwise exploit the photo and to incorporate the photo in other works in any and all markets and media now or hereafter known worldwide in perpetuity. Again, we expect to encounter this elsewhere, but not from an arts organization. Needless to say (I hope so, anyway), we let the Art Institute know how deeply saddened we were to see this behavior coming from them.

Two days ago we received a reply from Eric Hogan, the Art Institute's Director of Public Affairs, which read: Thank you for your comment regarding the Art Institute's photography
contest related to the opening of the Modern Wing. The contest is not directed at professional photographers, who should be and generally are well compensated for their work. The contest was meant to engage the hundreds of thousands of visitors who like to take pictures -- with their iPhones and non-professional-quality digital cameras--in the Modern Wing as a new feature of the Chicago landscape. We're sorry for the misunderstanding but certainly did not mean to imply that we were looking for "free" professional work. More than a dozen professional photographers have shot the building -- for magazine spreads, ad campaigns, and publications -- and all were fully compensated by the museum.

These are supposed to be bright, intelligent people. Do they really think an art museum can stage a widely publicized photography contest and that there would be no serious artists (professionals) entering images? Especially if the rules don't specifically exclude professionals and images made with professional instruments?? C'mon, let's get real, and please don't insult my intelligence with a lame response.

My point was, and remains, simply: An organization that's supposed to be dedicated to advancing the visual arts ought not be taking advantage of visual artists; and whether an artist's status is amateur or professional is wholly beside the point. The Art Institute of Chicago should not sponsor a contest in which the rules undermine the value of art and the artists who produce it!

Independence Day 2009

2009-07-04T05:52:00.000-04:00

Do You Ever Wonder?

2009-06-30T07:11:00.004-04:00

Do you ever wonder what a photo credit tastes like? How about this: do you ever wonder how many miles per photo credit (MPCs) your car gets? I do. I also wonder if these thoughts ever cross the mind of people whose job description includes asking me for permission to publish my images, promising only a photo credit as compensation. Don't you?

This morning I received an e-mail via Flickr from a woman at the Irish Museum Of Modern Art saying,
I'm contacting you regarding the touring exhibition and monograph publication of the artist Lynda Benglis currently being prepared by the Irish Museum of Modern Art. As a comparative image to one of her pieces, we would like to include your image of the Statue of Liberty torch. Would you allow us permission to copy the image for an edition of 3,000 worldwide English copies? If so, can you send a high res copy? We will credit you as the author, though we might possibly want to crop it to only include the arm and flame. Would you allow that as well?

I'm wondering why she didn't ask to borrow my bicycle, too! Aren't you?

Breaking The Bank

2009-06-28T08:21:00.003-04:00

Ken Lewis didn't ascend to the heights of the banking industry by being a pushover. Quite the contrary, Lewis, the CEO of Bank of America, has always driven a hard bargain.

One Sunday last September, at the urging of (then) Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Timothy F Geithner; Ken Lewis made the deal of the century... or so he thought... in taking control of Merrill Lynch. Paulson & Geithner, knowing that Lehman Brothers was about to fail and that, despite their lofty titles, they were powerless to stop it, scrambled to find a buyer for the next domino in line before it, too, fell. They set-up a meeting between Ken Lewis and Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain. Paulson and Geithner were desperate for Thain to find a buyer for Merrill Lynch that very day, fearing that if Lehman fell and dragged Merrill down with it, the entire economy would collapse like, well, a line of dominoes.

Early that Sunday morning, Thain planned a 1:00 PM meeting in Merrill Lynch's corporate apartment at the Time Warner Center in New York with Ken Lewis. Thain offered Lewis a ten percent stake in Merrill Lynch, generating enough cash to keep Merrill afloat. But twelve hours later, Lewis, not content with a mere ten percent, had acquired all of Merrill Lynch.

Yes, Ken Lewis drives a hard bargain. He made John Thain an offer he couldn't refuse and took all the marbles.

Last week, photographers thought they'd got a glimpse of the competitive Mr. Lewis, up-close and personal. Bank of America had a new deal for photographers, or so it seemed. One of our correspondents wrote...

i cannot remember if it was this forum... that recently had a posting about Bank of America and their new all rights policy..but it seems to be true..although i was previously booked for a shoot for this coming weekend, today they inquired about their new contract which includes all rights for the same money.. i declined, offering alternatives, but this seems to be non-negotiable it saddens me to lose this client, but giving my work away for less than it is worth, is just not an option

This one comment unleashed a wave of criticism aimed at Bank of America... 40+ messages... and it wasn't until the most recent messages had been posted that we finally got to see the actual document.

When I read the text of Bank of America's new deal, the one that everyone's been up in arms about, it seems perfectly reasonable to me provided that the fee is commensurate with such a broad license.

There is one key passage which reads, Photographer agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend Bank of America from and against any and all liability, claims, damages, and costs arising from or incurred as a result of Bank of America using the Photograph as described above.

This is the only part I have any objection to, and only because it's exactly the reverse of my standard terms and conditions, which state that the client will, indemnify the Photographer and his Representative against any claims and damages, including reasonable counsel fees, arising from the Client's use of the photographs and the Photographer's or Representative's use of material on instructions of the Client.

Any time you're dealing with a large multinational corporation such as a top-tier bank or pharmaceutical company, you're going to be licensing a very broad rights package that doesn't necessarily enumerate each and every possible use. That's okay, if you price your license accordingly.

I'm a Bank of America customer and I get to see how extensively they use images. Newspaper, trade & consumer magazines, direct mail, POP, billboards, letterhead, web, brochures, annual reports, post-cards, posters, car cards, ATMs, envelopes, etc, etc... you name it. If your picture is central to their campaign it will be everywhere. According to the document I read, Bank of America seems to be willing to limit the length of time for each use and they're only concerned that you don't release the images for use by their competitors (it's not even exclusive, rather industry-specific). It's not an all rights in perpetuity throughout the universe in all media known and unknown, nor is it a Work Made For Hire contract. Bank of America doesn't seek our copyrights. It is, in fact, a limited use contract (a/k/a rights-managed) rather than an egregious rights-grab.

So what's the real problem? The photographer failed to negotiate a fee commensurate with usage. Except for the money, there's nothing wrong here. Oh, except that Bank of America's reputation was unnecessarily trashed.

Mama, Don't Take My Kodachrome Away

2009-06-22T09:59:00.006-04:00

Sad news: This morning the Eastman Kodak Company announced that it would discontinue the manufacture of Kodachrome film, citing declining demand. Kodachrome, with its highly saturated colors, especially red, was my film of choice for many, many years; but Kodachrome now accounts for less than 1 percent of Kodak’s still-film sales, the announcement said.

Kodak estimates that the current supply of Kodachrome will last until October, and if the precedent set by the similar announcement of the demise of Kodachrome II is any indication, hoarding of the remaining supply can almost certainly be expected. The announcement also noted that Kodachrome processing is so complex that only one lab in the United States is still certified by Kodak to handle the film, Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas. Dwayne’s said on its web site that they would likely continue processing Kodachrome through the end of 2010.

When Kodachrome was first developed in the 1920s, it was sold only to the motion picture industry. About fifteen years later, it was made available to the general public as a still picture transparency film, “with five layers of emulsion so thin that the total thickness is no more than ordinary film.” Indeed, the thinness of the emulsion and its additive dye process made it the sharpest, finest-grained transparency film available. Its use was so widespread among professionals that Paul Simon immortalized it in song singing, "Kodachrome, gives us such nice bright colors, gives us the green of summer, makes you think all the world's a sunny day."
Oh yeah!

Flag Day 2009

2009-06-14T05:51:00.000-04:00

An Entire Career In One JPEG

2009-06-10T06:55:00.000-04:00

Now Showing on flickr.com

2009-06-08T04:23:00.000-04:00

Sunrise at Highwood, Illinois

2009-06-07T05:56:00.000-04:00

Another Night At The Brickyard

2009-06-06T06:08:00.001-04:00

At The Intersection Of Pickens & Gore

2009-06-05T05:58:00.008-04:00

I'm as interested in the environment as most people, maybe a bit more but that's arguable, and I recognize that global warming is a man-made phenomenon and I'm doing my part to care for our planet. If you've been watching television lately you've probably noticed that environmental consciousness is really catching on. It's one thing when the hippies (that includes me) and Al Gore are talking it up, but when T Boone Pickens gets into the act you know there's something to it... not to mention it's profitable.

I can usually get up and get a snack during a TV commercial, or skip by them altogether if I've DVRed a program, but when the Repower America campaign (Gore's spots) or the Pickens Plan ads (Pickens' spots) air, I keep my seat and watch anyway.

And they're all pushing alternative energy with a fervor that suggests it's almost too late (it may be!), and they're telling us to build solar panels and wind farms. The part that I really didn't understand was that if we need to build these new power grids from the ground up, if it doesn't yet exist, where'd they get the footage? Well... I'm not as naive as I look, and I want to make pictures for the green revolution but, where are all these things? I know that the area around Palm Springs, California is studded with wind turbines, but I'm not going to Palm Springs. Aren't there any around here?

You bet there are. I did a little research using Google Earth and found the local wind farm. Yesterday morning I rolled out of bed at 3:15 AM, checked the sky and decided that it was clear enough to be worth driving two and a half hours to photograph a wind farm, so I hit the road and I was in the wind.

While at the wind farm I met a guy who was kind enough to explain the economics of the deal for the farmers who've allowed the turbines to be put on their land. Then he said, and it's clean... not like that!... and he pointed to the horizon north-west of where we were standing.

What are we looking at, I asked?

Byron, he answered.

Byron? He was pointing to a minuscule puff of smoke on the horizon. It looked insignificant to me, but that's because it was forty miles away (I said it was clear, remember?). According to my new friend, there's a nuclear power station at Byron and it's mucking-up the landscape. All he wanted to know was, would you rather live here with these clean, quiet, pretty windmills in your back yard, or there, with a reactor and cooling towers in your back yard?

Kind of a no-brainer, isn't it?

Sunrise at Montgomery, Illinois

2009-06-04T05:16:00.000-04:00

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Canon EOS-5D, 300/4.0 Canon Lens EF L Ultrasonic & EF2X, ISO 1000