The Redrock Micro DSLR Cinema rig for the Canon EOS 5D MKII

Canon just posted an interview that I did with them a few weeks ago on their site. In the interview I discuss how the “Reverie” video came to be, my experience with the 5D MKII during the shoot, as well as some upcoming projects and thoughts on where this is all headed.  I usually cringe when I see myself quoted in print - but this little interview turned out quite well, I almost sound like I know what I’m talking about!  You’ll see a video half way through the article that shows the 5D MKII mounted inside a Redrock Micro rig.   You can also view an alternate edit to the behind the scenes video edited by  Andre Costantini (who cut Reverie) for Canon’s site.

A few of you may have read the article “The Cloud is Falling” that discussed my outlook for the photography industry in some detail, less than half a year ago.  That article was the impetus behind this blog in fact. My overall thought back then was that the still/print industry was fundamentally changing - both due to technological advances and market forces - and that still photographers needed to embrace new ideas and technologies.

   A lot has happened in the past 6 months - most notably the economy (and on a more positive note, game changing technological advances such DSLRs that shoot 1080p video.)   My outlook for the print industry is now quite dire - in many ways this economic downturn may lead to an incredible series of layoffs and failures in the upcoming year that our industry has never seen before.  What I assumed would happen over the next 3-5 years - may happen in the next year or two - precipitated by this economic downturn that we’re experiencing.  (The stock market (INDU) in case you haven’t noticed -  is approaching its lowest level in more than a decade.) The purpose of this post is to make sure that all photographers are aware that 2009 may be an incredibly tough year for everyone - and for you to make sure that you prepare yourself for it. (more…)

For years now, I’ve been waiting for someone to take full advantage of the web and to allow photographers to better connect with their audiences.  I’ve always found that traditional media rarely offer up a way for photographers to connect directly with their readers/viewers.   Photoshelter has just recently released a little widget that allows anyone to embed flash galleries in their (and other people’s) websites.   This tool allows photographers to easily share their images - and perhaps to generate some income.  In this case - you can simply view the photographs within the widget - and if you’d like, you can purchase a print as well.  

I think this has a tremendous potential - so much so, that I’m going to try to encourage you to embed this gallery into your personal sites (or publications!) by applying all of the profits from these print sales for the next 30 days to a student internship/scholarship… (more…)

I just got this press release from Allen Murabayashi the CEO of Photoshelter this morning.   Seems like there is hope for those that have their images “trapped” on the DRR servers.  Photoshelter has been in discussions with Diablo Management and they have been able to get them to extend the server “up” time for just a bit longer - YOU HAVE UNTIL 11:59 PM PST tomorrow (October 31st) to move your images off…

Hats off to Allen and Photoshelter for making this move - I’m sure that he and everyone and that industry sees that DRR shutting its doors w/o notice is not good for anyone in that (or our) industry…  very smart PR move…

So move quickly… I wish you the best in throughput luck (may the data transfer gods be in your favor!  I hope you all can get most of your stuff off of those servers in time!)  It sure sounds like this is your very last chance to get anything off those servers..period (unless you know a judge…but I’m not going to get into that…) (more…)

It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of Photoshelter over Digital Railroad since the beginning - and the reason for me was clear:  I knew and trusted the people and the technology at Photoshelter.

Both are online photo storage sites where professional (and amateurs) store backup copies of their work online  - and in some cases originals. The idea is that having all of your work on your hard drives/RAID in one location is not the best backup strategy, storing them online on professional grade servers is a great idea - not to mention that both Photoshelter and Digital Rail Road (DRR) offer a variety of other services to sell your photos to others as well.

I know a lot of people who work for Digital Rail Road and have struck up good friendships with them - but at the risk of making enemies - I will say this:

Shutting down the DRR online storage site - and giving all of your customers less than 24 hours notice to retrieve their data - is ABSOLUTELY INEXCUSABLE.     Many companies (such as the VII Agency) have come to rely on DRR to run their businesses - and it’s outright irresponsible to expect them to be able to get all of their content off of your site with any notice shorter than one month - or at the very least a few days. (more…)

I will be joining a bunch of talented people next week at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.  Here is the schedule for the upcoming week:

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The Eddie Adams Workshop was a great success.  I’m sure everyone came out of it having learned something very special - I know that I did.    We’re all trying to catch up on life and work - not to mention rest.   So here’s a quick article from PDN that talks about what we did there.  

I’ve also gotten permission to put up audio of Platon’s speech at the workshop - which is easily one of the best I’ve heard in my years at the workshop - and likely the best speech I’ve ever heard from a “celebrity” photography - although that title diminishes what the man produces - it is just a small part of what Platon does.  I and others were incredibly impressed with his wit, his intelligence - and how approachable he was.   One of my only regrets was not getting time to spend with him at the bar one night - as I was walking past to go do some portfolio reviews, I caught a glimpse of him surrounded by a few students who were soaking his wisdom in.   I have to admit to being quite jealous of those students - I sure hope they didn’t take a single second of that time with him for granted.

In just seven days from now - 100 very lucky students (comprised of 50 students and 50 professionals) will come together to participate in what is very likely the best photography workshops in the world:   The Eddie Adams Workshop - edition number XXI.

This workshop is always one of the highlights of my year - in fact I turned down a commercial job two years ago to make the annual pilgrimage upstate… (everyone volunteers at the workshop…and NO - I ain’t making enough money to be turning down commercial jobs… so that’s saying a lot!)  

The workshop is an annual gathering of some of the best “established” and “new” talent in the industry - I (and all of the other participants) have had a chance to hear the likes of Gordon Parks, George Tames, Nick Ut,  Bill Eppridge, Tom Kennedy, John White and many, many more legends of this industry share some pretty priceless stories and insight over the years.  In fact you can hear many of their speeches here.   Real, real cool.   Not only do some of the “best photographers” get invited to speak - but many of the very best editors from the most prestigious magazines and publications and other influential members of our photographic community also come to share. (more…)

I’ve spoken with David Sparer at Canon and we will have the “Reverie” video back up mid next week.   I initially wanted to put up a quiet update on a previous post - but I’ve been getting quite a few calls and e-mails asking me about our progress - so I decided to make this quick announcement - thanks for your patience.

James Nachtwey’s TED project has been revealed - you can see it at the following link here.   Very powerful stuff.  I have to run out - more on this later…  for now I’ll let his photography and the presentation do the talking.