PixelatedImage Blog

Got into Delhi about 24 hours ago. Hot here. Spent today in Chandni Chowk, one of my favourite places to shoot. Matt Brandon and I wandered for a several hours, shooting and talking. My images from the day suggest it was mostly the latter.The first day or two is always the hardest for me, getting into the flow, re-awakening my eye, and getting comfortable again with approaching total strangers. Shot about 190 images, and of those I think I’d be pushing it to say I got a dozen images that reflect at all how I feel or think about my time wandering. This is one of them.

This was taken at a madrassa off one of the lanes leading out from Jama Masjid. Reluctant at first, he eventually warmed to us. This was after one of the boys poured water on Matt from the second floor, earning Matt a wet shirt and camera, and the boy a good smack on the head from the headmaster. You just never know what’ll happen. Matt has a few images up as well HERE. One of the things I love about shooting with another photographer, when the chemistry is right, is seeing how another person sees the same scene as I do in a different way, and that invariably shows up when you go through your daily picks. Matt’s first posted image is a different perspective on almost the exact same moment as the above.

Later today Matt and I lecture at the Himalaya Club. 7pm at the Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Stop what you are doing right now and click through to this video interview with Vincent Versace on creativity, being an amateur, and shooting with a voice. Vincent preaches the same sermons as I do, but more eloquently and with greater authority and credibility. You must see this video – it’s good stuff. Link: Vincent on Creativity. And if you’ve not picked up Vincent’s book Welcome to Oz, you need to. It’s important. Seriously, do it. Go. Click now. The man is a poet.

I’m still en route to India. I’ve got a post pre-published for Wednesday, then in another week. And shortly thereafter, I should be in Kathmandu and able to provide a live update, some images and stories. Until then, think about Vincent’s words.

Chase Jarvis’ blog is in on my list of weekly reads and yesterday he posted some really sage wisdom. I got my best photography job, in part, because another photographer was so arrogant no one wanted to work with him. I assured the advertizing executive that is now my favourite client that my images might not always be in focus, but gosh-darnit I’m friendly. I won’t steal the wind from Chase’s sails, so click through and read his post – What You Can’t See Matters -  HERE.

I will be in India from September 10 to the 27th, then in Kathmandu until October 24th. I’ll be unreachable while in India, though Sharon will be checking my email, and I will have no access to the internet until I am settled in Kathmandu, at which point I will update the blog.

Click the map to embiggen it.

On August 25th I posted a design for a T-shirt I proposed to have printed. I wanted to run them through Cafe Press and see them myself before I offered them up for general consumption and to meet your need for stylish propaganda. I got mine today – in fact, I am wearing a charcoal one as I write this – and I like them enough to let you order them. You can order them HERE through Cafe Press. A few words about this:

First, I make about $2/shirt. I will send all of that to friends of ours in Nepal who work with children there. It’s not a fancy NGO or anything, just two people doing what they love and they can use all the spare change they get.

Second, I am not really involved in this, so if Cafe Press mucks up your order, please don’t get me involved. I just wanted some t-shirts and if I can send a few bucks to my friends, all the better. But I don’t want to become a retail outlet for swag.

Third. Jonathan Swift’s name is still spelled Jonathon Swift. If you’re a stickler for historical or spelling accuracy, you’ve been warned.

Fourth, you should still get one. Why? Because none of your other friends have one and buying this shirt alone will prove how savvy you are, and how you’re drinking the “Vision Is Better” kool-aid with reckless abandon.

Shirts are available in long sleeve (black only) and short sleeve, black and charcoal. My Cafe Press store is HERE, and crappy, blurry, iSight photo is here:

The Blackrapid R-straps continue to turn the camera world upside down. Since the give-away I’ve had a ton of traffic through here searching for the R-Strap, looking for reviews, or coming back to tell me they’d bought one and loved it. I gotta tell you it’s a little wierd how much people love them; the loyalty they are engendering is a bit odd given that, well, it’s just a camera strap.

But I still love mine. The more I use them the more I like them. I’m proud to be sponsored by Blackrapid and I can tell you there’s more cool stuff coming down the pipe and they’ve been listening to all the feedback in the hopes that their products will continue to hit the sweet spot. Here’s an example – the buckle/clasp with which you clip the camera to the strap. It’s a good one as it is. I’ve had zero problems with it. But it could have been better and they went back to the drawing board and created a new one that locks. Cool. Companies rarely listen so proactively. But it gets better – Blackrapid will allow you to upgrade your buckle for a penny, plus shipping and handling.

Tewfic, The Travel Photographer, got the one I sent him, and loves it. Jordan Nielsen is convinced too. (there’s another R-Strap review HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.) It’s not rocket science but it is about time.

The one complaint I hear time and time again is about the price, but I think that’s less a legitimate beef and more a reflection of the WalMart mentality. We all want the cheapest goods possible, but then complain when those goods break or our jobs are sold down the river. There’s a real cost to these things, and when we spend thousands of dollars on gear it’s not unreasonable to spend a reasonable amount on a well-built strap to hold and access our gear. I feel the same about bags and anything that protects my gear or that I use every single time I create my images. That they are, or aren’t, too costly, is more likely a reflection on our budget, not the goods.

No real reason for this post, just a shout out to Blackrapid that Tewfic and Jordan reminded me I’ve been wanting to make again. It’s refreshing to meet a company that so genuinely wants to make a difference and do it right.

(And the button with Che on it, that’s mine, so if you’re offended for any reason, mine’s the blame. Not sure why I feel the need to say that but I know the U.S.A. has a strained relationship with Cuba, so, just sayin’.)

This trip is a long one, folks. Tomorrow I leave for Delhi, will be lecturing with Matt Brandon at The Himalaya Club, and then meeting our Lumen Dei team on the 15th of September. We’ll spend a couple days shooting in Old Delhi, then fly to Ladakh for two weeks of photography and trekking. At the end of the month I meet my wife back in Delhi and together we’ll fly to Kathmandu for a month. I’ve got clients there and aim to do some writing and shoot some personal projects. Towards the end of our time in Kathmandu, Gavin Gough will be joining us and Gavin and I are going to do some catching up, and there’s a strong possibility we’ll kick back a pint of Everest lager and some water-buffalo momos.

My first three weeks will likely be internet free. Which means I am leaving you as orphans. I’ve posted some articles ahead of time so you don’t get too used to my absence, but it’s going to be sparse and sporadic. Sorry. When I settle into our place in KTM, I will have wireless internet and will become a little more frequent, but I’m treating next month, as much as I can, as a sabbatical, so I won’t be publishing as frequently.

Sadly, when I get home from this trip I will be soon again heading back out to Africa for a few weeks of shooting. And in January, I’ll be doing a month around the world, returning and getting ready to hit my book deadline. And going out for World Vision again. Things are going to become pretty lean for a while.

I’m tired just writing it. Check back when you like, if you’re trying to get in touch with me, please be patient and know that email is the only way it’s going to happen. info at pixelatedimage dot com.

This is my friend and former student Nicole Gibson. I shot this as she leaned out of the window on our houseboat in  Srinagar, Kashmir, India, last summer on our Lumen Dei tour. Only days before we’d been at the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi and she shot this image. (Oops, Matt Brandon tells me it was at Shah Hamadan in Srinagar. I stand corrected.)

Fast forward one year and last weekend at Photoshop World, Nicole won the Vincent Versace Guru Award for the same image. I can’t tell you how proud I am of Nicole and how excited I am for her future as a photographer and communicator. Huge congratulations to Nicole – well done, my friend!

For a full list of the GURU winners, click HERE.

Hey folks, thanks for being patient with my rant yesterday. Canon did little to help, but my local drug camera dealer – Leo’s Camera’s in Vancouver – went above and beyond, getting me a new 85/1.2L lens that is not only perfect, but here in time for me to not stew about whether I will have it for the trip. Mad props, as they say, to Leo’s. And that’s why I buy my important gear from a brick and mortar store staffed with people who know my name.

In other news – Chase Jarvis, of whom I am a fan – has put out a post asking you and I to be his photo editors. Check it out HERE.

Strobist links a cool video from another “trash the dress” shoot HERE and as a follow up there’s a post about the kite-mounted remote-controlled G9 HERE.

Is getting one of your images onto the front of a Lonely Planet guide one of your career goals – read on HERE.

Looking to put up a fast and slick online portfolio? You get portfolio space as part of your NAPP MEMBERSHIP, but here’s another one, and it’s even free-er. Though way less benefits than NAPP. Check out CARBONMADE.

Want a few minutes to work on your chops and take some great images of a Sumo wrestler washing his Subaru? C’mon, you know you wanna. Subaru Canada has a really fun interactive campaign that allows you to shoot and post-process your images – too fun. Check it out HERE. (See, we canucks are fun. Subaru US site? Boring. Subaru Canada? Sumo wrestlers and interactive photo shoots. We OWN fun. I don’t know what it has to do with selling SUVs…)

Adobe will be announcing the new CS4 on September 23rd. I always approach these  things with a mix of joy and pain. More learning just as I am finally coming to grips with CS3. Stay tuned.

Photokina is nearly upon us and with it the unleashing of more can’t-live-without-it gear that only two months ago we all lived just fine without. Sony is announcing a new SLR, Canon – we hope – will be announcing the follow-up to the 5D, and all kinds of makers will be announcing new bags, tripods, and gadgets we’ll all drool over. So it’s good to take stock now of your gear and appreciate it for these last few weeks. Because at the end of the month you’re going to hate it. Remember, if the current gear can’t give us the images we want, it’s not likely the new batch will get us any closer. Faster, bigger, cooler, shinier – yes. But images that more closely match your vision, not likely. Let’s keep it in perspective. Together we can get through this time of mass hysteria. Now would be a good time to lock up your wallet.

I’ve got posts planned for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. And then I leave and after that it gets thin. Brace yourself.

Is it that hard, Canon? I love your cameras. I love your optics and their sexy red collars. But your service? It is hard to imagine how it could be worse. I’ve yet to hear a good service story – from anyone – anywhere in the world. Sure, you can get CPS in some places. And it’s free. And time and time again I hear about working professionals who trust you to do right by them, fix the gear their livelihood depends upon, and do it in a timely fashion. What I do not hear is stories of how you blew them out of the water with your excellent service. Only how you blew them off.

I bought an EF 85/1.2L lens recently. It cost $2000. Not a cheap investment. But when I found – 3 weeks after my purchase -  an artifact the size of a corn flake had worked its way loose (ok, it only looked like a corn flake) – the service I got was nothing but a maybe. Maybe it’s warrantee-able. Maybe we’ll get it to you in a couple weeks. My local vendor went to bat for me, and they got the blow off too.

Nikon makes exceptional cameras. They make damn good optics. Their strobes are better. All you’d have to do, Canon, is step up to the plate and honour your customers. You know how when we were all in high school and we wanted to make a break-up easier? How we used to say, “It’s not you, it’s me…”? Well, it’s not me, it’s you. And you’re on thin-ice baby.

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I almost called in sick today and didn’t post, but why waste a chance to vent, right? I love my gear, and I love my optics – when it all works. But a fan boy for Canon? I just lost my innocence. Where are the consumer advocates? And why in the tight-run race between Nikon and Canon does the Canon Mothership not see a chance to score some serious points with professionals? Maybe I don’t even want to hear the answers…

Thus endeth the rant.