Posted by Nate on April 24, 2010 at 2:27 pm
When it comes to discovering new things, I’m like a crazy heroin addict. I think it’s the definition of living. My dad always said (ad nauseum while on vacations) to “expand my horizons” and as a teenager, it drove me nuts. Now, I’m a father… and I get it.
Did you ever hear a song, read an article or a book and go, “How did I NOT know about this!?” I do it all the time. 2 or 3 times a week, lately. So, I’m starting a new string of blog posts called “New To Me” and it’s about people, organizations, bands and such – that are newly GREAT to me. I hope you like it.
This first post is about a photographer who changed the game for me. Bobby Model passed away last fall, and I can’t learn enough about him right now. My introduction to the National Geographic photographer and adventure-seeker came from another magazine, American Photo, who featured him in the July/August 2009 issue. I relate to Bobby Model in a couple different ways. I love extreme, off-the-path places, risk vs. reward photography, and I’m from Wyoming, like Bobby.
Model was named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic last year, where he was quoted:
“I grew up in Wyoming, one of the most isolated areas of the United States,” he explains. “So hanging on ropes and moving around mountains just came naturally. It’s also why I’ve always found it easy to relate to ordinary people who work the land. I really respect and appreciate those individuals and their stories.”
Wish I could have bought that guy a drink, was my first thought, when I learned of his passing.
I talked to an Award-Winning fine-art photographer Steve Campbell from Las Vegas-based Casey’s Cameras last week at our Vegas Photoshop Users Group meeting. We discussed fisheye lenses. He said he sells them to “extreme sports photographers,” mostly.
I can’t help but think of Model as a pioneer in this genre – he shot adventure photos before there was an “extreme” label, and before it became commercial.
The next time I’m shooting an oncoming race car doing 180mph, a mosh pit or a KO’d kickboxer hanging above me on the ropes, I’ll think of Bobby Model – who shot in ice caves, waist-deep snow, hanging from ropes, and on mountain bikes. My kind of office.
Learn a thing or two at M-11, Bobby Model’s portfolio website. I did.
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Posted by Nate on March 1, 2010 at 7:55 pm
If you’re in the creative industry, (unless you live under a rock) you have probably noticed in the last few years or so, most professional Graphic Designers have successfully adpoted the use of quality photography and the way it is utilized in advertising. We rarely see low-resolution photos in print anymore, and more often than not, the images are using correct exposure and beautiful depth of field, therefore lending great imagery to commercial projects. Now, I’m issuing a challenge on behalf of designers: Photographers, its time to raise your design game.
This is the week the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers) Convention comes here to Vegas. It’s always a great show. On behalf of my city, I’d like to welcome some of the best photographic talent in the world.
I have attended the last 3 or 4 WPPI conventions, and it’s clear that my email and mailing address has been cycled through several mailing lists. Let me tell you – there’s something awry with much of this massive load of photo-promotions. It’s not just email marketing, either. Many of the trade publications, sites, signage, and mail pieces, too. Most of it’s really, really poor.
Look, typography is a science in itself, so don’t be surprised to learn that cute font that came with your wife’s Dell just doesn’t cut it. While you were in the darkroom, Designers were in their second semester of color theory. Look at the “big guys” at the trade show. They have beautiful booklets, great logos and packed booths. Not a coincidence.
Investing in porfessional design shouldn’t be hard to grasp for shutterbugs. And its certainly not meant to sound condescending or offensive. All of us creatives need to check our egos and take a critique from time to time. The experienced Designer’s mantra is identical to yours, Photographers: when your clients hire true, experienced professionals, they get top-notch results. Designers carry the same responsibilities as Photographers, too. Deliver results on behalf of your client, or your phone may not ring again for awhile. In this, the era of facebook and twitter… word gets out about poor service in a short moment.
I’m as aware as anyone of the financial challenges both industries face, so my advice is this: Buddy up. Professional photographers should seek partnerships with Professional Designers and vice versa. Build it in the budget. Find a way. Work out trade deals, retainers, industry-rates… hell, issue frequent flyer miles if you have to!
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Posted by Jake on December 8, 2008 at 10:13 pm
CNN reports that December marks the last month of production for Polaroid Instant film. They are saying it is due to the popularity of Digital Cameras. I can see that, but imagine how many great photos are going to be lost because people don’t print out their digital photos.
Otis Burns still takes the same camera on his road trips today. At every motel where he spends the night, he takes a photo of the view from the room — whether it’s a pastoral landscape, a brick wall or the parking lot. And on the back of each photo he writes the details of the setting: the room number, the town and the date.
“Sometimes magic seems to happen and a deceptively simple picture outside a Motel 6 can say a thousand words,” Sean Burns said of his father’s collection. “Polaroid photos take [only] a minute to develop, but sometimes art takes decades.”
Read the full story here
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