New Sony DSLR!

The Sony a850 represents a landmark camera. This is the lowest price full-frame DSLR ever offered. It will sell for around $2000 for the body only and for around $2800 in a kit with the new Sony 28-75mm f/2.8 SAM lens. The only differences between this camera and the a900 is the viewfinder: a900 with 100% view and the a850 with a 98% view; and the shooting rate: a900 at 5 fps and the a850 at 3 fps. Otherwise, they share the same 24.6 MP sensor and the same dual BIONZ processors. Most of the other features of the a900 are carried over to the a850.

Considering that most other "entry level" full-frame cameras, like the Canon 5D mark II and the Nikon D700, sell for the price of the a850 with a lens, this is a great deal. Like I've said before, Sony is the company to watch out for in the years to come. I bet it won't be long before we see a full-frame DSLR for around $1500.

How not to use Photoshop

This is an example of the wrong way to use Photoshop. The story is carried on the BBC News website and says that the original image shows a black man who was altered to be white man for Microsoft's Polish website. Microsoft is looking into the matter. For the entire story, go to BBC News.

Whoever did this, shame on you. If you're going to do something like this -- not that it is ever okay to manipulate race in this way -- at least put in a head that is lit in the same way as the other people in the original photo. Sloppy work! The Asian man and the white woman have highlights on the right sides of their faces, while the replaced white man's head has a highlight on the left side. This is inexcusable on so many levels.

To see other examples of the misuse of Photoshop, go to Photoshop Disasters, an interesting blog dealing with these issues.

To the Moon!

Forty years ago, the summer before I started Middle School, my family moved up from West Point, Mississippi to Fairchild Air Force Base, near Spokane, Washington. My dad was a career Air Force man. We arrived on the base a week or more before our belongings did. This is important part of the story.

Like most kids in the 60s, the Apollo moon missions were a dream come to life. I grew up watching every cheesy sci-fi movie ever made and was a devoted Star Trek fan and I saw the Apollo moon landing as our first major step towards a life of exploring other planets. Unfortunately, our TV was in the moving van that was still making its way to the Northwest. We didn’t know anyone at this base, and I was going to miss seeing one of the most important moments in history. My only consolation was a small transistor radio. At least I’d be able to hear it happen.

But a few minutes before the scheduled landing, a guy from down the street knocked on the front door, and when my mom answered it, he handed her a small portable TV and said, “This isn’t something you should miss.” It was one of the best gifts I can recall getting in my entire life.

He came back the next day for his TV, but for a moment the people on this planet were drawn closer together. And that guy went out of his way to do something because he felt it was the right thing to do and I will never forget him and his generosity.

Here’s to the 40th Anniversary of the landing on the Moon.

Julius Shulman, 1910 - 2009

Julius Shulman, one of the best architectural photographers in the U.S., died at age 98 on July 15. Although he was more famous among architects than he was among photographers, Shulman was considered by most to be the best photographer of Modernist architecture in the 20th Century. He completed his last assignment two weeks ago and he began his career as a photographer in 1936. That's a 73 year run, which is truly remarkable in any field.

The New "Leica"?

Olympus unveiled its latest Micro 4/3 camera, the Olympus Pen E-P1. They are calling it a Digital Pen, in reference to their half-frame 35mm cameras of the 60s and 70s, most famously the Olympus Pen-F and other models. Like the vintage camera line, the new E-P1 is small, sleek, and stylish. Decidedly old-fashioned looking, in fact, but filled with the latest digital camera technology, including HD video.

What strikes me about the E-P1 is how much it looks like what I thought Leica could come up with if they tried to make a digital camera from scratch. Taking the good ideas from their M-series cameras, like small bodies and lenses and economical design, but not being needlessly married to existing designs and guidelines that are now quite ancient, which is how I see their M8.2. I don't know how this camera will perform, though Photography Blog has several images from the camera online here and frankly the results seem mixed to me, but this design has a lot of potential for serious photographers. Especially, documentary photographers. The E-P1 could be the Leica M for the 21st Century. We've needed something like this, so let's hope that this it it.

Fave Pix from SoFoBoMo!

These are three of my favorite images from the Old Aurora Colony Museum shoot. The first one of the white pitcher was used as the cover image. Be sure to check out the finished book at SoFoBoMo.

Solo Photo Book Month Project Completed!

Last night I uploaded my finished e-book for the Solo Photo Book Month event. You can find it here. I ended up with 40 images all together and I have to say I'm pleased with the final result. It looks pretty good. It also feels good to be done with it.

This really is a good project to take on because it pushes you to new extremes in photographing. To end up with 35 or more images, most people would agree that you need to shoot roughly 10 times that amount depending on the person. Over the years, that's what I've noticed in working professionals. Of course, there are those who can produce good work at a much tighter ratio, but if you count on 1 photo out of 10 as a starting point, you won't be far off. So, for 35 images you need to to shoot about 350 images.

In my case, I shot 550 images, some of them duplicates or variations of the same scene, and ended up with about 40 finals. I could probably have included more images in the final book, but I decided what I had was enough. That puts my shooting ratio at 1 in 13. I've known some pros who shoot at 1 in 36. It should be acknowledged that shooting digital encourages overshooting. When I used to shoot with a 4x5 camera, my ratio was closer to 1 in 4 or 5. With 8x10, it was more like 1 in 2. The bigger the camera, the more work it is to make an image, the smaller the shooting ratio becomes.

When you shoot 350 or more images, it takes a lot of time to edit them all down to the final images and it takes a while to prep them, sequence them, and come up with a layout, not to mention choosing typefaces. And it all has to happen within the 31 days. A project of this sort is a lot of work, but it can also be highly rewarding. While it may be too late to try it this year, keep it in mind for next year. You'll be glad you did.

Later today or tomorrow, I'll post a few of my favorite images from the project. In the meantime, check out my book at the SoFoBoMo website and check out some of the other ones as well. There's a lot of good work out there.