In The Studio

Today was spent shooting a few intro / outro sections for an upcoming piece, then recording voiceover commentary. Later, there was a podcasting session. I'll link to those once they are posted....

Another shot is posted over on my other blog Actualities.

Studio Day

Today was spent in a recording studio. First: voiceovers for some upcoming DVDs. Next: some podcasts.

Another view can be seen on my other blog.

I'm fine whenever I'm recording basics, but whenever I have to speak about myself my practice is to say too little, followed by saying too much, and then quickly follow this up by saying the wrong thing.

Appliance Watch 2008

I saw no discarded televisions tonight. This will have to do.

Thanks For Asking

There are handwritten signs all over The Bronx. There's one that's everywhere, or at least all over where I go. It takes on more meaning, though, in the form above.

Burnside Avenue

It was a beautiful day in The Bronx today. It was cool and clear, and not snowing or raining.

Valentine's Day

Ah, Valentine's Day. It's a made-up holiday, you know.

Above: People bidding on roses on their way home, near Grand Central Terminal.

The Times on Street Photography

From yesterday's New York Times "City Room" blog:

Street Photography in an Image-Filled Age

One of the most interesting topics in the talk was the discussion of how to take images unobtrusively; all three artists have shot images that are startlingly frank, but in which the subjects seem utterly oblivious to the presence of the image-maker. Mr. Powell, who is 6 feet 5 inches tall, said his height means “I really can’t do that invisible thing so much.”

Big Sky Opens Today

Well, it's finally here, and our film "Blind Faith: A Film About Seeing" will be included.

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Missoula, Montana - The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival opens Thursday, February 14 at Missoula's Wilma Theatre for the first of seven consecutive days and nights of world-class documentary cinema. The fifth annual event boasts 106 films from more than 40 countries, including many world premieres. In addition to screenings, the festival includes panel discussions, a Retrospective Series, Q&A sessions with dozens of filmmakers, as well as VIP events, receptions and parties. Since its 2004 debut, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival has matured into an internationally-recognized venue for showcasing innovative, contemporary, and classic works of documentary film

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And Read All Over

I usually grab a coffee as I go into work. I couldn't help but notice the tasteful coverage of last night's events.

On 88th Street

Ah, it's that special time of year when people toss their old television sets on the street because they've bought a big screen TV. I guess tomorrow I'll check 87th Street.

Yorkville Breaking News

I generally only mention photography-related news, but once in a while there's a story that has some interest for other reasons. For example: apparently their is a meat-cleaver-wielding maniac loose in my neighborhood this morning.

Psychologist Killed In UES Meat Cleaver Attack

"NEW YORK (CBS) ― Residents on the Upper East Side were in shock on Tuesday night after 56-year-old psychologist Kathryn Faughey was hacked to death with a meat cleaver inside an office building on East 79th Street and York Avenue at shortly after 9 p.m., police said.

The killer is still at large.

The NYPD said it is looking for a suspect described as a middle aged, blonde haired male, and is believed to be a patient of the deceased therapist. Police believe the suspect escaped through a basement exit into an alley after the attack."

On 86th Street

The snow blanketed everything today, clean and white as I left for work then sloppy and grey by the end of the day. They say rain will come in tonight, then heavy rain. Then more heavy rain.

New Errol Morris Addresses Photography

MORRIS' 'PROCEDURE' FOCUSES ON PHOTOS

The first documentary to be unspooled in competition at Berlin, Errol Morris’ “Standard Operating Procedure” not only examines a tragic and shameful chapter in U.S. military history but also plays with what a photograph can meaningfully convey — and if what it shows is the truth.

“I became really interested in war photography,” said Morris. “I’d been writing a series of essays about photography for the New York Times; I thought I’d do a film about a set of photographs.”

Aperture 2 Released

For those on a Mac, there's a new version of Aperture out. There's a 30-day trial version available for download, also. I've been using Lightroom, but my impression is that the Apple product is equivalent. I haven't noticed any features that put one program ahead of the other significantly.

No Place is Boring

If you've had a good night's sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film. Or the equivalent.

Apparently, There Was No Time

The Upper East Side streets are often lined with little discarded treasures. Some nights: not so much.

Memory Cards

Memory cards have dropped in price. If you don't need the absolute fastest card in your camera -- and for most shooting, you don't -- then prices are down to record lows. Very reliable, fast cards are now inexpensive.

Last I looked, for $30 you can get a:

SanDisk 2 GB Extreme III CompactFlash Card

Not that long ago, those were going for about $200.

Or for $25 you can get a:

SanDisk 2 GB Extreme III SD Memory Card

Irving Penn

On Sunday, we went to Close Encounters: Irving Penn, Portraits of Artists and Writers. Excellent show, but an expensive admission ticket if you're just going for the exhibition. (So plan to take in the rest of the museum, especially the space redesigned by Renzo Piano.)

"Close Encounters showcases a group of sixty-seven portraits of notable subjects by Irving Penn (b. 1917), acquired by The Morgan Library & Museum in 2007. The exhibition demonstrates Penn's incredible achievement as a portraitist, and photography's vital role among the twentieth-century arts."

The show ends April 13th.

Using Manual Mode with a DSLR

I've been asked a few times recently about using manual mode on a digital SLR camera. "Turn the big knob on top of the camera to M," I say, "point the camera at your subject and press the shutter halfway down. You'll see in your viewfinder if the camera thinks you are underexposing or overexposing -- there's a little indicator that will let you know."

Sometimes that's enough, but usually the next question is about what settings to start with -- as in what aperture and shutter speed to use.

Well, a while back I wrote about using the The Sunny F16 Rule. It turns out those same ideas will help you estimate exposure for shooting outside during the day. Try this:

1. Set your ISO to 400.

2. When using the "Sunny F16 Rule" you set your shutter speed to match your ISO: so set it to 1/400th of second.

3. Look at the shadows the sun is casting. If it is clear and bright, you'll probably see hard shadows, but as it gets more overcast the shadows will get softer or disappear. So:

a. if you see hard shadows, set your aperture to f/16
b. if you see soft shadows, set your aperture to f/11
c. if you see no shadows, set your aperture to f/8
d. if the light level seems even lower, set your aperture to f/5.6

That's all. Set your camera to M. Set your ISO to 400. Look at the shadows and set your aperture. Point your camera at your subject, press the shutter halfway down. Your camera may have a little triangle, or a light or another indicator that lets you know if it thinks you are over or under on your exposure. Adjust if you agree, or go with your guess. Take the shot.

Look on your viewscreen, and see if you've got it right -- and then act superior to anyone using automatic modes.

Macro and Portrait Lenses

Often I'm asked about macro lenses. These are lenses that let you fill the frame (at a 1:1 ratio) when photographing small things like jewelry or insects.

Since I'm not actually a huge fan of pictures of jewelry or insects, in any combination, I always recommend that folks buy a macro lens that also works as a portrait lens. Fortunately, there are several that combine the sharpness and optical quality needed for close-up photography with a focal length that works for photographing people. (On a digital SLR, a focal length of between 70mm to 90mm is very flattering to the human face.)

I received a gift certificate over the holiday, so I looked in my camera bag and then took my own advice, ordering this lens:

Tamron SP Autofocus 90mm f/2.8 DI 1:1 Macro Lens for Konica Minolta and Sony DSLR Cameras

It's also available in Nikon mount and Canon mount of course.

When it eventually arrives, I'll post a few pictures and a brief review.