For the video, click on the image above or here: REVERIE.

The video is now back online on this blog. Many thanks for your patience and support.

UPDATE: See The Behind the Scenes video here on SmugMug

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.

Just jumping on the bandwagon here - on October 3, James Nachtwey who is arguably the most accomplished and celebrated photojournalist working today - will reveal a project that he has been working on thanks to a TED grant - being released simultaneously online, on media channels, and as images projected in public places.   So spread the word. (Click on the “X” to the left..)

On a personal note, James has always been one of my favorite photographers and an amazing person to get to know.  I met him just days after 9/11/01 in Quetta, Pakistan… I was stunned when he recognized my name as we were introduced (he read(s) The New York Times and likely recognized the byline from seeing it in the paper) but even more impressed with how humble and focused he was and still is.    One of my favorite quotes from him - which is a quote that is pulled from a portfolio review that he was giving years ago to someone else - (after looking through that person’s portfolio quietly page by page, closing the book and making a single comment before concluding the review right then and there and moving onto the next student, is:  ”I’m afraid that these pictures don’t tell me anything about who you are.”

We spend a bit of time together in Pakistan as I helped him figure out what was then one of the very first prototype EOS 1D Cameras - and getting his satellite phone working with an antenna we placed on the roof of the hotel (running the wire down to his hotel room window - super high tech

 One of the best lessons I learned from him (there were many) is that while we were all drowning our sorrows late into the night (the press corps in Pakistan) mostly due to the overwhelming emotion / frustration / fear & uncertainty that followed 9/11/01 - Nachtwey would quietly decline to join us - going to bed early (or likely working on a book layout now looking back at what I know of his crazy work ethic.)   By the time we were waking up to horrible light and hangovers - he was walking back into the lobby of the hotel… no matter how good you are, how developed your eye and vision are  - discipline and adherence to the following axiom: “The early bird gets the worm…”  helps even Mr. Nachtwey…

So the point of this rambling post is - I am really looking forward to seeing what he, along with the help of the folks at TED, have come up with… I wish them the very very best of luck - can’t wait to see what they’ve managed to pull off!

Due to pretty incredible demand and a fair amount of (healthy) skepticism as to whether or not the footage in the “Reverie” piece is “truly” raw out of the camera, we will be releasing a series of raw clips - the exact same clips that were used in the “Reverie” short film -  this coming Friday.   (more…)

Keep in mind - this is raw footage (not RAW) from both Canon XH A1 camcorder - and a few clips for the Canon EOS 5D MKII - you’ll see that the two are toe to toe (not really) on bright scenes… but in low light - NO COMPARISON… so I’m not sure of how Canon feels about my trashing their top of the line XH A1 camcorder… but common sense leads me to state the following:  if the Canon still camera team and the video team have come together to produce the Canon EOS 5D MKII - the next HD camcorder they come out with - may just floor us all…  these are very exciting times - to be someone who focuses on “creating” as opposed to the “process” and “technique” of making your vision match the “reality” of the tools you have at your disposal. To view the main movie (not the behind-the-scenes), click here: REVERIE

See it in higher resolution on SmugMug!

SmugMug has offered to sponsor the making of the next movie and an international search (and/or contest) for the most talented filmmakers, screenwriters, lighting technicians, gaffers, actors - you name it.  

SmugMug has agreed to commit an initial $25,000 right now, plus HD hosting of samples, teasers, submissions from everyone particpating, and the final production.

SmugMug will put up another $25,000 once we’ve proven that we can make this happen - and some other sponsors hopefully jump on board to guarantee that we will have the necessary funding and/or access to resources to make this come together!

(more…)

I just received confirmation from Canon: “barring any last minute technical difficulties” the video will be live within the next 12 hours…  (I will link to it from this Blog) 

SmugMug has stepped up to the plate as well - and they’ve agreed to host the “Behind The Scenes” video on their servers at no cost… so this site will remain advertising-free as a result (I don’t need to raise cash to pay for bandwidth as a result of their generous offer).

There is also a pretty incredible announcement coming up from them on this blog… within the next hour or so…   One that almost trumps the release of this video in my opinion- an announcement that you all have a chance to benefit from…

If you choose to subscribe via RSS to this blog - you’ll be the first to hear of it and the release…  my life has been on hold for almost a week - so I’m eager to get this out!    We’ve gotten over 250,000 hits on this blog since Saturday - and the numbers just keep rolling in. 

For now - enjoy this 12 second clip “teaser” of the behind the scenes video  - to be launched simultaneously with the “Reverie” film…  

WITHIN THE NEXT TWELVE HOURS…

See it in gallery on SmugMug

I made an important note to myself when starting this blog:  never go after anyone, or attack anyone on this blog - my grandmother used to say:  ”If you don’t have anything good to say about something - don’t say anything.”  So I’m not going to make any comments on what I personally think about this - I’ll let the following quotes speak for themselves.  A routine Google search to the responses to this will lead you to what other people think - and are doing as a result of these statements.

These are quotes I’ve found from a PDN Article, and other sites here, here and here

N.B. - I am not vouching for any of the views or opinions expressed in any of the linked articles - I’m just giving you links. (more…)

 Some things you just don’t see coming - and those really tend to sting the most - and leave a mark.

The PhotoShelter Collection will leave a mark - and in more ways than one.

This morning, I received a personal call from Grover Sanschagrin, a friend and colleague of mine who was one of the founders of PhotoShelter and it’s “Collection.”  He told me that the current market forces were forcing them to close down their ambitious “Collection” venture prematurely - while the parent company PhotoShelter and it’s Personal Archive is here to stay.  

For those of you who may be unaware of the PhotoShelter Collection, this venture was a breath of (needed) fresh air in our industry.    Their idea was to create one of the best high-quality photography collections out there - and to leverage new technologies in ways that would allow the photographers to keep a lion’s share of the profits from each sale (both commercial and editorial image sales.)  Unlike most of their competitors - where getting less than 50% of each sale, and in fact where 30% to less than 5% of the total sale ever finding it’s way back to the photographer is unfortunately not an uncommon result - PhotoShelter made a point of “putting the photographers first” and giving them 70% of each sale.   For those of you new to the business - that number is traditionally the amount that goes to the agency NOT the photographer - I just wanted to make that doubly clear.   (more…)

©The New York Times

If you haven’t seen this already - you have to check out the following slide show from the two conventions from The New York Times. It’s a 3 part slide show - and while the first section is a bit more straightforward - wait until you get to the second (Protests) and especially the third section (Vision.)

I’ve featured Damon Winter’s work once already on this blog, and once again he and Todd Heisler - along with Ozier Muhammad and Stephen Crowley - produce some absolutely fantastic work from the conventions.  

(more…)