20,558 (Twenty Thousand Portraits) from Ted Fisher on Vimeo.
Back in 2001, I was involved in a photography project that involved gathering thousands of portraits at the Los Angeles County Fair. Later, the images were databased and became part of several photography installation pieces and public art videos. I'll post the full story sometime in the new year, but for now, here's the video, made in 2002.The tough part about working with a laser beam as a flash? Getting the sharks to position their heads in the right direction.
A little bit of photography mad science via Wired....
World’s Fastest Camera: Shutter Speed Half a Billionth of a Second
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
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.
Here's the question I always get: "I want a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera. I'm not ready for a professional model, don't want to spend too much, but don't want to buy something and then grow out of it in a six months. What should I buy?"
Well, there were new announcements by Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony this week -- so the real bargains are the models that have been out a little while. They're great cameras, and are now bargain priced.... Take a look:
Nikon D40
Nikon D40x
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon Digital Rebel XTi
Pentax K100D
Olympus Evolt E510
You can't really go wrong with any of these. I'll have more on the new cameras that are coming out, but I tend to advise people -- go for the less-expensive camera body, then take the savings and in put it into another good lens.
In a post today New York Portraits' pal Photo Chick expressed her doubts about a flaming ex-pope.
Apparently you can see her on Inside Edition tonight or in repeat tomorrow discussing whether a photograph -- claimed to show Pope John Paul II mystically manifesting in a bonfire in Poland -- has been digitally manipulated....
More on the original photography "news story" here.
The theft of the original "Nun Bun" is here. Heck, here's an entire photo gallery of Nun Buns for you from the BBC. Enjoy.
I'll be participating in the upcoming SPIN 3: Txt Me L8r exhibition at Houston Center for Photography.
There is, of course, a Flickr group for you to check out. Above, my first image in response to "Take a picture now- don't think about it!" Made with a cell phone.
At the end of May, the "Command Z" exhibition I co-curated came quietly to an end. I was busy trying to finish a short film and to make it through my last term in school -- ever -- so I didn't get a chance to write much on the excellent work in that show.
For example, Ryan Gallagher organized an amazing online component of "camera toss" photographs. His post Camera Toss (The Blog): Command-Z Concludes... details what went into this, and has some incredible images you'll want to see....
I'm sometimes asked why I like black and white photography. One answer may be found in the photograph above: the tuxedo was lavender.
The New York Times:
John Szarkowski, Curator of Photography, Dies at 81.
I met him once in Los Angeles, very briefly, when he was speaking about his show on Ansel Adams. After moving to New York, I also saw the show at MoMA on his own photographic work. I remember feeling he might walk through the gallery at any point, and that it would seem perfectly natural.
My friend in California went to the "Command Z" show, and took a few photographs....
Please Select an Artist
The Command Z show is installed and opens March 31.
Here's an article from The Daily Breeze:
Art: Pixel Perfect
