PixelatedImage Blog

Click the map to enlarge it. Or use a big magnifying glass. The former works better.

It’s official. And kind of spontaneous. I am travelling with a friend for two weeks of portfolio work in Tunisia this coming January. It’s off-season in Tunisia and we’ll have almost two full weeks to wander this small mediterranean African country sans the madding tourist crowd.

If you’ve ever been to Tunisia and have some must-see sights that are off the beaten path, let me know. Anyone with suggestions that involve seeing StarWars sets will have their lenses smudged for the effort. But other suggestions are welcome.

My wife is in NYC for the weekend: Babe, i booked this for AFTER your birthday this time. See, I’m learning.

Info and download links on ROB GALBRAITH’S SITE.

The limited edition monograph, The Pixelated Image, is now available for purchase.

I received my proof today and am very impressed with the quality. In fact the cover is stunning.

As I mentionned, I am offering this as a limited edition. Only 100 copies will be printed, numbered and signed.

The book is almost 70 pages, hardcover, 11×13 inches. It contains
about 90 of what I consider to be my best images from the developing
world. I am really pleased with this book. Proceeds will go to sending
me on a Women and Children First Project shoot - hopefully somewhere
like Gulu, Uganda, for Invisible Children.

Price on the book is $200. This book will never be re-printed. All copies are hand numbered and signed.

Cost is $200.00 and I will pay ground shipping.

You can pay by PayPal for those of you who use it - email me and I will send you a PayPal email invoice. You can also pay by cash or by cheque if we know each other. Please email me - info at pixelatedimage dot com - for more information.

Once I get your orders your book should take about 3 weeks to get to you. They need to come here, get signed and numbered, then re-packaged and sent to you.

All orders must be placed by email. At that point you can express your preference for payment and I can put you on the list and assign you a number. Again, email is info at pixelatedimage dot com, or you can use the Email Me button at the top of the left sidebar.

Sorry there isn’t a slicker way to do this, but I prefer the personal interaction and it prevents people slipping through the cracks.

Canon Canada’s latest rebate was slated to expire at the end of June, it’s now been extended through to the end of July.

If you, like me, are looking to get a new 5D, or another piece of glass, the rebates are solid. For the 5D the rebate is $350.00 - enough to cover the purchase of the battery grip or to cover the taxes on the camera.

I’m going to upload the coupon in pdf format: Download CashInDSLR_Promo.pdf (303.4K)

Got three new pieces of geek-gear this weekend I wanted to alert you to.

1. Canon Ee-D Grid Focussing Screen for the Canon 5

I love this little thing. I have grid lines on the display of my Leica and wished I had them on the screen of my Canon 5D. I was mentionning this to Matt Brandon recently, who promptly stuck his 5D in my face and told me to look through the viewfinder. To my amazement he had a grid. And, it turns out, for $50, so too could I. So I dropped by Leo’s this morning and picked mine up. Love it!

2. The UpStrap.

Ok, I haven’t got mine yet but I am keeping my chiropractor in business by doing wierd things with my back and neck to keep my cameras on my shoulder, so I came home from the last assignment and ordered two basic Upstraps. I’ll update this post as soon as I receive the straps, but word on the street is that these unconspicuous straps are the ne plus ultra of camera straps. See Upstraps.com (link HERE) for more information. If it’s good enough for Steve McCurry, it’s good enough for me.

3. The Patagonia Surf Bucket Hat.

Ok, I’m pushing it with this but I am very excited about this hat. I am at, or past, my limit on sunburning, and I sunburn because I always wear a baseball hat on assignment. And because ball hats get in the way when shooting I always take it off when I bring out my camera. And so my vast bald scalp gets burned. I’ve been looking for a hat that fits, is well-made, lightweight, crushable, and doesn’t look totally dorky. 4 out of 5 ain’t bad. Enter the Patagonia Surf Bucket Hat, $41 at MEC in Canada.

If you’re looking for a great hat for shooting, this is it. Its brim moves out of the way easily, it’s comfortable, and it keeps sun and rain off my head. Patagonia costs more, but experience tells me it’s worth it. While my other clothing wears thin, my Patagonia stuff is still toughing it out and looking good. I could buy Tilley but they never replied to my inquiries about sponsorship, and let’s face it - their stuff is way more expensive and over-the-edge on “hey, do I look like a middle-aged yuppie about to go on a cruise?” You gotta consider these things.

Virtual High-Five sent out to Nicole Gibson, one of our Lumen Dei participants in Kashmir. Nicole was the first runner up in the Evrium Photo Contest - you can see her image HERE. I entered this month too - and didn’t place at all. So Nicole isn’t allowed to be my friend anymore but in the spirit of being a good-loser, I’m sending out my kudos all the same. Well done, Nic!

ps  - The link is probably time-sensitive, in a month it’ll probably linkto someone else’s image, so get yer clicking on while you can.

Agra, INDIA. January 2007. I shot this image at the Taj Mahal. It’s one of several hundred I shot there and one of the only ones I like.

Shooting an icon like the Taj Mahal is tough. Shooting any icon is difficult, but the building reputed to be the “most photographed building in the world” is even harder. It’s easy to take a photograph of an icon, but very difficult to take an iconic photograph of a subject that is already iconic. This was my effort at that - to create an image that shows something more than the postcard view - to show the Taj as I see it - a monument that was once a living piece of history that is now the haunt of tourists and pigeons - a dusty monument that is no less beautiful but has, I suspect, lost the spirit it had when it was first built as a monument to a dead wife by a grieving king. Maybe I’m wrong. Lord knows there are many ways to perceive the Taj. What mattered to me was creating an image that reflected my vision.

So when I stumbled upon a maintenance man sweeping the dust and the pigeon feathers from the floor of the adjacent (north) mosque at the Taj, I knew I had my moment. I shot thirty frames as the sweeper moved back and forth. He kept trying to get out of my shot - trying to be polite and driving me nuts at the same time.

I metered off the sandstone arch and then adjusted so my histogram had as much data as possible without losing too much in the highlights. It was a very high dynamic range of light to deal with - in thos cases it’s best to get as much data as possible (ie, keep the histogram to the right without cliping too much) and then plunge the shadows in Photoshop or Lightroom.

EXIF data: Canon 5D, 17-40.4.0L @ 17mm, iso500, 1/250, f13. Image processed in Lightroom.

I’ve finished the layouts on my limited-edition monograph: the pixelated image. I am now taking expressions of interest. If you want a copy, put your name here, or email me. This is not a pre-order, but as I am limiting this book to a total of 100 copies, the first ones who express interest are the first ones on the list, and the first ones to get their books.

The book is almost 70 pages, hardcover, 11×13 inches. It contains about 90 of what I consider to be my best images from the developing world. I am really pleased with this book. Proceeds will go to sending me on a Women and Children First Project shoot - hopefully somewhere like Gulu, Uganda, for Invisible Children.

Price on the book is $200. This book will never be re-printed. All copies are hand numbered and signed.

You can put your name on the list now, when the book-proof comes in and gets approved I will then announce the actual sale. All books will be available on pre-order only. If you want to be on the list, add your name to the comments, along with an e-address, or email me HERE.

The world of one-off publishing has grown in leaps and bounds over the last couple years. I’ve toyed with the idea of self-publishing a monograph of my images but never been happy with the quality I was seeing. BLURB looks like a contender - it’s based on an easy-to-use, if not overly simple, free layout software, and they give you decent options in terms of size.

I am in the final stages of getting my layouts done and edited. I’ll be announcing a very limited edition of 11×13 signed, hardcover coffee table books once I get the first copy back and proof it. Until then, check out Blurb.com