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Another McCullin Book in my Collection
Yesterday I found a copy of The Palestinians by Jonathan Dimbleby at Lorem Ipsum Books. Published in 1980, it seems to be a little-known book that's long out of print, but I was excited to see it because I borrowed this book from a library years ago when I first heard about Don McCullin. The book contains 125 photographs from McCullin, including his widely-published photo of the aftermath of a phalangist murder of a palestinian girl. Some of the compositions ......
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thoughts on pedestrians and photography
What is it about Boston that turns people so cold? Look at people on the street or on the T, and they're either staring into their phones or else averting their eyes. When I see people staring nervously off at nothing, I imagine them thinking, "ok, pretend that you see something over there. Yup, that's it — don't look at anyone else." Everybody is in his own little bubble, trying desperately to keep up the illusion that there aren't thousands ......
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some things i've been doing
Since quitting HP in March, I've been focusing on photography and very much not on programming. I have a few projects up in the air, and some that are dead ends. There was the clock-winder in JP, the mask-maker in Somerville and my judo sensei/tailor. I just finished a class with this guy and gained an enhanced way of seeing things. Among other topics, I shot my local watering hole, the street, and even used film once or twice. I ......
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missed it
This was a perfect moment, and I blew it. The girl was staring off with these beautiful, shining blue eyes, but you'd never know because the camera was set to -1 exposure compensation, and I exposed for the sky. The sky is 1 stop under, and she is probably 3 or 4 stops underexposed. There are many ways to miss the shot. Usually I miss it because I wait too long, and the moment dissolves before my eyes. Someone stands ......
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Sigma SD14
I just got a Sigma SD14 because I've been looking for a different kind of image quality, and Sigma, with their unique Foveon sensor delivers the goods. For reasons I can't quite pin down, the output from my 40D sometimes disappoints me. I think part of the reason is that the camera companies are cramming too many pixels onto such a small chip — when I zoom in, it's a mush of speckled noise and blurry details, even when using ......
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francais
In The Genius of Photography, there was a segment about a photographer I didn't recognize. The interviewees were talking about a guy named "Eugene AHCHEY." AHCHEY? Who the heck is that? Then his name appeared on screen: Eugène Atget. Oh! Atget! Of course... You gotta love the French language, where half the letters are silent, and the other half sound like two or three letters combined. Incidentally, although I had heard of Atget, I didn't know anything about him. Based ......
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seeing color differently
Saul Leiter: Paris 1959 Nate and Sarah just visited France and brought me back a book, Saul Leiter from the Louvre. Although I hadn't heard of Leiter before, I was immediately impressed with his subtle, dream-like street photos. I'm especially drawn to his color work. He apparently used expired film, which, combined with the immaturity of color film technology during the 40's and 50's, would've produced the kind of washed out, low-contrast images shown in the book. Seeing such color ......
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Nachtwey's Story
Last year, James Nachtwey, after winning the TED prize, made a cryptic wish: I’m working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age. Now, he and his TED collaborators are set to reveal his photo story on October 3rd. I am sure Nachtwey's story will be as spectacular as he ......
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posted at 23:21 September 30, 2008
by Dave St.Germain -
1 comment
Tags: Photography, Photojournalism
Tags: Photography, Photojournalism
making friends
Sometimes the people most alive are the ones inches away from death. Tom's wife, Wanda, died a few months ago from alcohol poisoning.Although he's traveled around the country and lived in Colorado and Vermont, he loves Central Square, even in the winter. The only problem, he says, is that "everybody dies here." ... See my Tabblo>...
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hancock tower
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Why is it black and white?
People sometimes ask me how I decide to convert a photo to black and white, and I don't have a simple explanation. I'll try to illustrate the thought process on a typical image. There are some simple reasons for converting to monochrome: The scene is already desaturated or otherwise monochromatic. Color in the scene detracts from the content or message. (i.e. a bright red truck in the background) You're going for an old-fashioned look. You want the image to seem ......
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going to pycon
I'm at Logan airport, waiting for a delayed flight to Chicago, heading to PyCon. I'd say more, but blogging on the iPhone is tedious. More later....
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missing
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black friday
I wandered around the mall for an hour and a half specifically to photograph the spectacle of "black friday", only to leave the building without a single photo. Fully aware of the legal grey-area that is mall photography, I didn't want to shoot indiscriminately. I spent some time looking for visuals that would describe the shopping phenomenon and silently condemn such crass consumerism. Surely I'd be able to find an example at the Cambridgeside Galleria. But then something hit me. ......
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James Nachtwey
I have greater respect for James Nachtwey after seeing War Photographer. I was familiar with his work, but I didn't know much about his approach or character. He's one of those "Concerned Photographers" in the same vein as Don McCullin (whom I mention often), Eugene Richards, and many more (including, I suppose, Cornell Capa, who coined the term). If I had $100 for Nachtwey's Inferno, I think it's definitely worth owning. Check out an interview with him from a few ......
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posted at 12:17 November 22, 2006
by Dave St.Germain -
0 comments
Tags: Photography, Photojournalism
Tags: Photography, Photojournalism
the modern holga?
This photographer, Michal Daniel, has an excellent site, 640x480.net, of street photography taken with a camera attachment on an old PDA. Some of the photos are really great (but some are a little too sneaky for my tastes). It's cool to see someone using "obsolete" technology to make serious art (I can't think of a synonym...), and it proves the brain behind the the camera [or PDA!] is more important in many ways than the light-tight box capturing the image. ......
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the results
I processed the photos from yesterday's New York jaunt. I was a little disappointed at first because I felt that I didn't capture enough of what I wanted to see; I barely even saw the subway, for instance. It would've been nice to get more night shots, and I hoped to find more interesting people to shoot. I guess I'll have to return soon. Gary Winogrand shot 10 rolls of Tri-X every day for years and left behind thousands of ......
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nyc 11 2006
I just got back from New York, and man, do I stink! two days of the same clothes, including 7 hours of walking around the island lugging probably 20lbs. of photo gear. pictures forthcoming......
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fascinating and scary
No wonder society has a flawed perception of what it means to be beautiful....
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cinematographer respect
I bought an issue of American Cinematographer the other night. Since it's produced by the ASC guild itself, much of the magazine has to do with the craft of cinematography as practiced by its members. Some of the technical jargon is unfamiliar to me — for instance, I don't know about the different types of lenses or aspect ratio choices, and I haven't figured out why they refer to apertures as T2.8 instead of f2.8 — but I try to ......
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nudes
I bought Nudes: Developing Style in Creative Photography, a remainder from that book store in Harvard Square (not that one -- the other one). It bills itself as part fine art book and part creative technique book. It seemed intriguing when I flipped through it, but after digging deeper, I'm a little disappointed. Most of the photos are figure studies of professional models or elaborately set-up shots illustrating an eccentric concept. Commentary by each artist (there are 21 different photographers ......
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Tabblo
If you've got a mac with iSight, Photo Booth is good for minutes of fun!As you can see, though, some people can't handle this much fun without falling asleep... ... See my Tabblo>...
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Jesus is Scary
Found in an antique shop in Lawrence....
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Corrupted Card And Matching Shirts
We match! Somehow, one of my CF cards got corrupted the other day before I could copy the pictures to my computer. After a brief panic, I ended up trying (and then purchasing) Photo Rescue to recover the files. The weirdest part was that there were dozens of other files that the program found on the card -- some dating back more than a year! Even though I format the card in the camera regularly, a lot of those old ......
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One Month Project
One Month is the "experiment" I mentioned the other day. The basic idea -- take one self portrait a day for one month. Tada! I hope to develop some theme as I go. If it works out, I might continue somehow. If not, I'll throw it all away and never mention the project again......
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Voice Recorders
I've been looking for voice recorders lately because I want to try doing audio/photo interviews or essays. I wasted some time buying an Olympus VN-240PC only to find out that it doesn't work like a USB drive (as the salesperson assured me), and so it was useless to me. After looking at professional minidisc recorders and all sorts of digital voice recorders, I think I'm going to get an Olympus WS-100 (for a lot cheaper than retail price). Minidisc might ......
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23
I'm 23 today. To mark the (non)occasion, I'm starting a little photographic "exercise" that'll become apparent soon. Stay tuned!...
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Sentimental Journey
When I stopped in Lawrence yesterday I checked in with my grandfather. He's still kicking. It seems like nothing has changed back home. He gave me some no-nonsense, septuagenarian relationship advice: "when you meet the right person, you'll know. until then, keep looking..." Life must be so much simpler once you have more than 70 years under your belt. I've been thinking about lots of stuff lately, and my visit to the old homestead brought back a few memories. It ......
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posted at 12:16 March 17, 2006
by Dave St.Germain -
0 comments
Tags: Life, Sentimental, Love, Photography, Emotions, lee lee
Tags: Life, Sentimental, Love, Photography, Emotions, lee lee
pictures from indiana
Well, I added some pictures from our recent trip to Indiana. There are some gaps, and I felt like I took more pictures on the plane (I didn't), but I think what I have is decent... Anyway, Check em out!....
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Painting Strategy
Wait a minute
Before you read this entry, I'll have to ask you a question to determine whether you know me well enough. If you answer correctly,
you can read anything here. If not, then maybe we should get to know each other better?
digital, shmigital
I made the plunge. Canon 20D, Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX, and 1GB CF card. Ouch! That hurt my wallet. But this is good stuff. The possibilities are endless. I'm sure I'll still use film every once in a while, but the turnover time is much much slower with film (I have unfinished rolls of film in all my cameras, going back several months). It might take a while to get used to a zoom lens again. I'm used to using ......
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