the daily flashkube

Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age by Robert Hirsch

rating: 2 of 5 stars

NOTE: This book has been on my currently-reading shelf for quite some time. The reason is complicated and admittedly silly. Describing it in much detail I fear would require revealing more of my schizophrenic thought process than I am comfortable with. So, here is my single sentence excuse: I endowed this book, after a cursory scan at the store, with more authority than perhaps it warranted and, therefore, became dissappointed midway through. That being said, I have attempted to make this short review as objective as possible.

If I were professor of a photography class made for art students who are not studying to be photographers, this is the book I would choose as the main text. It touches on every aspect of photography; history, design principles, forms, exposure, equipment, how to think about photography, how to write about photography, and on and on. It is by no means specific and by every means exhaustive. There are even suggested exercises to help you grasp the concepts within.

What I valued most were the images accompanied by artist’s statement or relevant commentary. The author did a great job choosing talented artists from amongst both canon and the vast population of under appreciated photographers. I felt exposed to works that I otherwise would have missed.

What I valued least was the chapter on photographic history because the images had little or nothing to do with the text. Although, as the book moves along images become more and more relevant to the chapter.

Frankly, I thought a book that focused on both the technical and the creative was rare and potentially very insightful. It was instead too general which made it very tedious to pick out the few gems of useful information and ignore parts already known to me.

View all my reviews.

Thought this was amusing. Also, I went on a short photowalk last weekend but only made a few images. Haven’t actually seen them yet. I’ll post if I like them. Photography taking a back seat lately (work, school, family, etc). Finding time here and there. Thanks for looking.

Make Your Camera Theft-Proof: Harness the Power of Ugly!

Jimmie went to a bad part of Rio. Jimmie’s nice shiny camera got stolen.

Jimmie uglified his next camera. 4000 photos later, Jimmie still has his camera.

The moral: an ugly camera attracts less attention when you’re shooting in a rough area.

(if this isn’t public domain then I give up trying to understand the benefits of copyright)

While searching for Apple rumors I came across an Engadget article about the world’s first camera going on display in Macau, China. (See image below.) It reminded me of what is said to be the first permanent photographic image (above) taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1827. It was an 8 hour exposure of some farm buildings and the sky.  A brief NPR story about it can be found here.

The folks at LIME always have great tips. These, about using on-camera flash, are priceless.

LIME014 – On-camera flash part I from Lime Photography on Vimeo.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a search engine called TinEye (still in beta) that allows you to upload or link to a photograph and find out where that image can be found online. It also displays different versions and sizes of the image as well as artwork and logos that contain the image. To get a better idea of how it works check out their page of so-called cool searches.

Also, here is a video introduction by web personality Amber Macarthur (hot):

We were discussing at work who this would be good for. While it would make it easier for copyright holders to find unauthorized uses of their work on the internet, it could also enable someone to find unwatermarked or higher res versions of an image. The answer I think is that this tool is neutral as any good search engine should be. They claim that only a fraction of the images online have been indexed by TinEye so far. I think when this service gets going it will be a great tool for the freedom of information. Free as in beer AND free as in freedom. Love it.

These photographs were taken because my Grandmother said she didn’t have any recent ones of Olivia. They are nothing formal, just snapshots while sitting in my Father’s living room. I decided to give them to her framed for Mother’s day since we would be seeing eachother that weekend. Instead of printing them myself I uploaded them to CVS.com and picked them up at a local store. I have to say I am very dissappointed with the outcome. The colors were way over saturated and didn’t come close to what I saw on screen. It is obvious to me that they don’t even attempt a color managed printing system. I normally make my own prints and will likely do so from now on. Lesson learned.

I just finished this brief documentary on Annie Leibovitz. It was both fascinating and heart breaking. Check PBS.org for local listings.

Click on the image above to see an aerial tour of New York City. Amazing panoramas. Be sure to right click the images there to choose different views.

The moon last night was low and big and not bright enough to wash out detail too much. By the time I got back from the car to get my tripod it was slightly higher, slightly smaller, and slightly brighter. Damn elevators. Well, I think it came out alright regardless. I purposefully composed it like the image titled “Hallway” posted a couple weeks ago.

I love this kind of DIY photography stuff. Although, if you are trying to save money you probably don’t want to buy three $400 speed lights.