PixelatedImage Blog

I just watched a very entertaining video of Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden over at the Online Photographer. Then I read the comments, and I strongly suggest any of you with an interest in street photography do the same. The commenters, myself included fall on either side of the fence on this – either deriding Gilden’s technique or praising it (and those that don’t praise it, per se, seem to make excuses for it.)

Gilden’s a good photographer, that’s not at all what’s at stake. The man has balls, too. That also is not at stake. What people are reacting to is his modus operandi. Personally, i think the guy comes off as a jerk, and I think this short video – whether it accurately portrays Gilden or not, does raise some good questions about how we do what we do, and why.

My take? The guy, despite what he says, doesn’t seem to like or respect his subjects much and it shows. Black and white, garish images of people reacting to an agressive man with a battered Leica. His subjects look like characters, which is what he calls them, and I just don’t get much more from it than that he’s got his own agenda with no regards for the opinions of others or an ethic of his own (which he flat out admits.) Sorry, I’ll take being a kind, respectful human being over a disputed genius who engages in sociopathic (or at best misanthropic) behaviour in the name of art.

The whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’d love to hear what you think. Plenty of room out there for different opinions. Watch the video HERE, read the comments, and then get back to me – what do you think? Artist? Jerk? Genius? Bully? Both? Neither?

I think if the guy was a performance artist doing a satirical bit on the sins of street photographers he couldn’t possibly have done it better. As it is I’m less confused about why people hate and fear photographers. Comments are open, but if this stirs strong reactions, let’s at least be respectful about it. From the short video I suspect Bruce doesn’t give a damn about anyone else’s opinions, but let’s be carefully not to villify the guy.

On December 19, I posted an article called Making Money as a Travel Photographer and left suggestions 9 and 10 in your court with the promise that I’d pick two of the best and give you a signed copy of my book when it’s out. There were some great thoughts left in the comments, some of them more related to being a traveling photographer than actually making a source of income from it, but good thoughts all the same and I suggest you read them when you have a moment.

So here’s #9 and #10 from Jonathan Thomas, and a bonus from Dan Bannister which has less to do directly with making a living but is so generally overlooked it’s shocking.

#9 Have an online portfolio.
Not something with a 1000 shots or eight galleries with your family dog. Narrow it down. Let people see your best work. Keyword your images so you’re easier to find. In addition to easy, keep your web address simple.

If you’re looking to get serious about your portfolio, either online or print, take a look at Selina Oppenheim’s Portfolios The Sell

#10 Network.
Yes, it’s a competitive market… However, Network. Network. Network. Never burn a bridge with other photographers. This blog is proof of keeping respect and the benefit of doing so. (i.e. 5D Mark II) In networking with other photographers you gain experience and opportunities. When I traveled to Jerusalem, I met up with a fellow photographer I had met via a photography forum. That connection, friendship, saved me time and money.

Jonathan’s right on the money here – relationships are crucial and the old model wherein we all saw each other as competitors and guarded our secrets fiercely, it’s gone. The winners now are the ones who give openly and connect incessantly.

#11 Learn to light.
You should be able to turn day into night and night into day artificially. You may not always use it but, it will help you make much more interesting travel images and will allow you to get more pictures out of a given scenario.

I’d add to this and just say, Learn About Light. Even if you’re not controlling the light in any way the ability to see the light it crucial.

Jonathan and Dan both get a signed copy of Within The Frame when it’s out in May/June. Here’s the kicker guys, I’m leaving this in your court. I’ve got lots on the go right now and I will NEVER remember this. SO – when you see me announce that the book is out and on shelves, send me an email or leave a comment in any of my posts and remind me, along with your mailing address, and I’ll ship them out to you. Sorry to pass the buck, but it’s that or completely forget and totally neglect you, and I can’t live with that kind of guilt.

If this sort of conversation appeals to you, don’t hesitate to join the Vision Collective, the discussion forums for this blog. We’d love to see you there.

January’s wallpaper, shot last year in January in Kairouan, Tunisia. Kairouan is the 4th holiest city in Islam and is one of the coolest little towns I’ve been in. Love at first sight kind of place. This image is 1280×853 (click it for the larger file). If you want a larger one, click HERE for a 2560×1600 version.

I’ve carried my cameras like this for years, and no doubt this’ll strike terror in a few of you, and prompt crazed cautionary emails from others. Whatever. Since putting R-Straps on all my cameras and telling the world how much I love them I’ve had emails telling me others love them too but just don’t like the current FastnR that Blackrapid makes. For anyone using a vertical grip this FastnR makes life difficult, and some people worry about them un-threading. So I don’t use it. I just do what I’ve always done – clip the strap to a piece of cord I’ve tied with a figure-8 knot and hitched to the lash point on the bottom of the camera. Nikon users, I think you’re out of luck on this one, sorry (update: check the comments, there’s a couple good ideas in there from Nikon shooters. Ron Carroll’s solution is particularily elegant, if not expensive). Anyways, this is how I carry my cameras. All three of my bodies are rigged like this, and to date I’ve carried 6 DSLR bodies like this all over the world and never had a problem. The knot’s not coming undone, I spent years as a climber and old habits die hard. I’ll eventually replace the cording, but I’ve not yet had one break or wear-down enough to cause me worry.

I love my R-Straps, but this small mod makes them even easier to use. You may now (a) do something similar, (b) totally ignore this, or (c) leave comments about how horribly irresponsible this is. A fourth option would be leaving a comment about how you’ve modified your camera strap to suit your own particular style. Remember back in the film days when we all taped film canisters to our straps? Sigh. Good times.

Update: Check the comments, there’s some good stuff in there. One person did ask why I even bother with this in the first place. First, I’ve always done this and I like where it places the camera – hung from an angle I can grab it for a vertical or horizontal shot easily. Secondly, I shoot vertically a lot and the FastnR on a vertical grip makes it almost physically impossible for me to hold the camera vertically, and if I force myself to it’s stinkin’ uncomfortable for me. Two birds, one stone – so to speak.

Jeroen asked why I switched to the RStraps from UpStraps. I like UpStrap but in the end I found myself using their bandolier – what can I say, old habits die hard. So since I was using the bandolier there’s no real advantage of using the UpStrap and the RStrap’s just a way better bandolier. UpStraps are great straps, but the one-shoulder thing just doesn’t work for me.

Rounding out what has been a short, but entirely gear-focused, week, I’ve finally got around to putting down some thoughts about the Acratech GV2 ballhead.

I need to state right up front that I don’t use a tripod as much as dedicated landscape shooters. It just doesn’t suit my style of shooting or my style of traveling, but I still drag the dang thing everywhere I go. So what is important to me in a tripod and head may not be what is important to others. But in some ways that means I want more, not less, in a tripod and head. I want it to be light AND sturdy. Built like a tank, but weighing next to nothing. I also want my gear to be durable and as fuss-free as possible. That’s the thinking behind the Acratech GV2 head. It’s gorgeously machined, and very precise. It’s light-weight, only 1.0lb. And it’ll hold 25lbs without budging. For a small, light, almost skeletal, ball head, that’s impressive.

Here’s The Review Part
The ballhead of the GV2 is built with an open design, free of lubricants, and if it falls into the sand in the sahara, it can be blown out, rinsed in water, and it’s clean and ready to go. Did I mention it was strong and light?

The other features I love: the satin anodized finish is lovely in the hands. All the knobs are rubberized, and none of them can be unscrewed to the point of backing out, which means no more dropped, or lost, knobs. The level is a nice touch, and the QR is a secure, easy-in/easy-out, one-twist and you’re good to go, kind of knob. The plates are thin, well finished, and fit your specific camera body like a glove. It means buying a separate plate for different bodies, but the good news is that if you’re already using arca/swiss plates, like the L-plates from Kirk or RRS, it’ll fit just fine. Finally, the GV2 also acts as a gimball head for longer lenses, and while you’re not going to be using the biggest lenses out there with this head, it’s a boon if you’re using anything around the 300-400mm length.

So why the GV2? Honestly, I just got so sick of my crappy Manfrotto and Gitzo heads. I love – looove – my Gitzo sticks, but the heads I have leave something to be desired. They’re heavy, for one. And they’re fiddly.

Other than the price, which is listed on the Acratech site as $369.00, I can’t see a downside. But even then, this head is not much more expensive than other heads of similar strength and quality. The GV2 is a great example of beautiful craftsmanship, inspired engineering, and perfect strength to weight ratio. Sure there are other heads out there that’ll hold more than 25lbs but I shoot with a 5D – exactly how much weight do I need my head to hold? Not even half that.

Tripods are one of those things young shooters balk at spending good money on. My tripod and head combination would retail for about $800 – that’s alot of money. But you get what you pay for and with tripods there are three factors you can choose from when buying: price, weight, stability. Pick two. It’s a compromise at the best of times and for those of us placing a priority on stability (that is what you’re buying the thing for, right?) and weight (have you seen baggage restrictions lately?) then price is where we pay for it, literally.

It’s been a while since I used my pixel rating system, mostly because I totally forgot, but the GV2 gets a 5/5 pixel-rating. Easily the nicest head I’ve ever used.

Here’s The FREE Part.
So this is where Acratech steps up to the plate. I’ve been asking my sponsors lately if they’d start spreading the love beyond just sending gear to me. And many of them have – each month I’m trying to do a random give-away, keep the love moving, and Acratech has agreed to give a GV2 to one lucky reader in January. Yet another reason I love dealing with smaller companies – the service and personal attention is something you just can’t get from the larger guys.

So anyone out there want a free GV2 head? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Leave a comment with your name and email in the right fields, and – here’s the skill-testing question – tell me about your all-time favourite photograph. Could be one of yours, even a snapshot, and it could be an Ansel Adams print, but if you list Anne Geddes, you’ll come perilously close to losing my respect, if not the giveaway.

Go check out the Acratech site, then come back here and leave your entry. I’ll make the draw at some point during my travels in January, probably when I am in Kathmandu and have a chance to catch my breath and check in on y’all. Remember, Gear is Good, Vision is Better – get out there and shoot something you love.

Christmas, the way I understand it, is about the promise of something more. I don’t mean the holiday as we’ve come to celebrate it, a largely commercial bacchanalia on this random date on the calendar, but that one day millenia ago, when according to the narratives, the Creator visited His creation, accompanied by angels, and promised something more for us. Peace on earth. Good will among humankind. Salvation. Whatever your beliefs around this time of year, I chose to believe that God still has something more for us, that light will eventually win out over darkness, kindness over greed, and life over death. It’s an act of faith, because there are so, so many days when everything points in the other direction. But that’s what faith is, an act of the will to believe in the face of all evidence to the contrary.

I’m taking today and tomorrow off, spending it with friends and family and celebrating the year gone by and the promises we’re still waiting to see fulfilled. In the absence of angels we’ll tell each other to fear not, remind each other of the promises, and exchange gifts, like a sacrament – a reminder that giving, not taking, is the way this world works best.

Speaking of giving, you’ve all been a constant bright light to me. Our community here has grown exponentially, and we’ve not only kept the trolls at bay, we’ve gathered a fine bunch of kind people here and I’m grateful for you. From Sharon and I, and our cats Brie and Willow, we wish you a holiday of peace and joy and a 2009 filled with purpose, passion, and good.  Thank you for being such a kind bunch of people. And to those that sent such generous emails, and gifts, thank you ever so much. Merry Christmas, y’all.

Had a chance to shoot for a couple hours this weekend for a good friend of ours. Eileen Rothe is a fantastic singer/songwriter and she, ahem, walks it like she rocks it. She’s also a riot to shoot with. There’s something to be said for clients who trust you. Pressure goes down, creativity goes up, and work seems like play again.

This shoot was my first shoot with the 5D MK II and I love, LOVE this camera. It’s such a pleasure to use, the new menus make it faster to get to settings like WB and ISO, and the look is as film-like as the 5D, only more so. I shot on manual exposure, and custom WB so I don’t have much to say about the AE or AWB but from the playing-around I did the other day they seem as good as, or better than, the 5D, and I never had a complaint about them then. Most of you know I’m no pixel-peeper, so this is nothing more than a gushing reaction. I’m pretty sure you can find all kinds of tech talk elsewhere.

Do I love the camera? Absolutely. Will I be selling my old 5D bodies? I doubt it. Will I be taking it around the world with me in 12 days? I doubt that too. First, there are no spare batteries anywhere on the continent so I’d be traveling with one battery. That’s crazy talk. Secondly, the files are MASSIVE. I knew they would be – not only are they bigger, but also deeper – 21 megapixels at 14bits. So the files will fill my drives faster, take WAY longer to download, and WAY longer to convert to DNG, process, etc. I know I can choose to shoot smaller files, but that’s the rub. For my travel – until I get more RAM and larger drives, the file options are a little too big or a little too small. A RAW option that sat right in the middle, say about the file size of the old 5D, that would have been perfect. Would I suggest you all rush out and buy a 5D Mk2? Nope. Bang for the buck for many, many photographers right now will be better off snapping up a good used 5D body and some great optics. Think about it – for the what I paid for the MkII body I could have bought a used 5D body AND an 85/1.2L lens.

Why did I buy the MkII? First, my 5D bodies are both 3 years old and bound to fail (again) at some point. Seemed like a good idea. Bigger files size when I need it. Better weather sealing. Better low-light performance. The new 3 inch LCD is nice too (the size is nice but the better colour-fidelity is AWESOME. Finally, my images don’t look like crap on the LCD.) But, if the 5D MkII hadn’t come out for another year, truth is I’d be just as happy shooting with my current 5D bodies. Think about this one before you shell out. For many shooters it’s just more camera than you need. If you need full-frame – and who doesn’t? – then a good used 5D and some sweet glass, would be a wise choice. There’s much to be said for staying on the trailing edge of technology, and you can snap up 5D bodies pretty cheap right now. I’d buy a used 5D over a new 50D right now – that’s how much I love the 5D and all it’s full-framed goodness.

The 5D MkII is just the right upgrade for me – larger files that my commercial and stock clients will like, and ergonomics that are familiar to me and require no new learning. What would make it perfect? I have no need for the video functions and would love to have traded that for more file-size options. I hate that I need new batteries for this thing, but once I’ve bought them and stopped my whining I’m pretty sure I’m going to love the longer life and smarter technology.

Ben Wilmore has a more thorough reaction to the MkII on his blog HERE and he mentions a bunch of things I just plain forgot.

Anyways, those are my initial thoughts. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and as it happens, my birthday. Then it’s Christmas. These are important days of faith for me – not sacred days per se, but days to focus on the sacred. I’ll be posting a pre-published post tomorrow, then back on the 26th.

The images of Eileen were taken with my 5D MkII, 85/1.2L wide open, and a 5ft Elinchrom Octobox.

Vancouver is under many, many, inches of snow. Other cities can deal with it, but we get a couple inches of snow and (1) our snowfall removal budget is blown in 5 minutes, and (2) people freak out and either park their cars (smart) or go driving (stupid). We’ve had 3-days straight of snow and cars are getting tough to find in the drifts.

I got my Think Tank StreetWalker Harddrive backpack on Friday and as promised, when I got it I randomly chose one of the readers that entered the contest, and that winner is Mike Mahaffey from Texas. Mike will have a brand new Think Tank Streetwalker Pro sent to him by the good folks at TTP HQ in California. Congrats, Mike. Feel free to send us a review, I’d be happy to post it for everyone to read.

As further promised, I also took some time to work with this bag and give you some of my thoughts. As always, this is more of a reaction than a review. Reviews, in my mind, are much more thorough and critical. What I do is a reaction. I tell you what I like, what I don’t like, and whether I’d recommend it. It’s not a field test. I’m also pretty transparent about the fact that I’m sponsored by Think Tank Photo, but insistent that I choose my sponsors and not the other way around and the minute any of my sponsors send me junk I’ll honestly tell you it’s junk. I promise.

So, here’s my thoughts on the Think Tank StreetWalker, in this case, the Harddrive, which is the largest of the three bags, and has a sleeve for up to a 15.3 inch laptop. Street price on this drug is $179.00 and at about 4lbs that makes it $2.80 an ounce. Just so you know…

Small.
My first reaction on pulling it from the box was that it’s smaller than I thought it would be, must be all the larger bags I haul around. It’s by no means too small, in fact, I love the size for hauling the basic amount of stuff about on a daily basis. But compared to my other TTP bags, it’s small. That’s a good thing.

Comfortable.
A lot of these kinds of bags seem like a camera bag with straps thrown on them, but these straps are nice, fit my body, and I love the airflow back – though it’s so cold out right now and ventilation is the least of my worries, I know that this was a sore spot on my old Lowepro Computrekker – it got awfully hot back there! The straps are contoured and have an adjustable sternum strap, as well as stretch pockets for small items like cell phones or granola bar. There are also gear loops (daisy chains) and d-rings on each.

Good Looking.
It’s a nice, trim bag without any of those “look at me!” details some bags get burdened with. I’m not sure anyone’s going to be fooled into thinking it’s not a camera bag, but that has more to do with the rigid nature of protective bags. There’s some sparse blue trim on the bag, and it’s attractive enough but I would prefer none. I’m simple that way. I like black, black, and more black. Totally unrelated to looks, the zippers are all solid, beefy YKK zippers with pulls, and the main compartment zippers are lockable.

Speed Belt Integration
The ability to put the speed pro belt on this is good, though don’t count on being able to remove it without removing the whole bag. If working with a belt AND the bag were important to me, I’d probably leave them separate most of the time so I could take the bag off more easily, but I like that I can join them if I want to.

Pockets
The external pockets are nice, with all the usual extras that TTP puts into their bags, like loops and leashes for card wallets, a business card holder, and places for the little bits and pieces you inevitably need as a photographer. I’m a particular fan of the clear plastic they use on the inside flap, makes finding things easier. In all there are two pockets in the front – perfect for batteries, pens, card wallets, grey cards, etc – two on the sides, about the right size for strobes, and slightly bellowed to allow a little more capacity, while still lying flat when empty. Each side also has a stretch pocket, perfect for water bottles, though not much else.

Inside
Think Tank bags come with lots of dividers, and while I don’t normally use them on my travel bags I might end up using them on this bag as my day-to-day working bag. There’s plenty of them. The key to accommodating the Pro-Sized SLR is a clever internal hinge that allows the deeper body into the top of the laptop sleeve, while still remaining protected. Very clever. Without this the bag would be at least an inch deeper on the outside, or wouldn’t accommodate both the dslr and laptop.

Inside you’ll also find a sealed rain cover and the straps needed to lash a tripod on. I rarely use straps like this for a tripod, but I use them all the time for lashing and clipping other things – lightdiscs, larger water bottles, spare jacket.

Overall Impressions
I like the aesthetics of Think Tank stuff and the build-quality can’t be beat. For a traveling photographer without a lot of gear, this is the ideal bag. If I were shooting with one body and a couple lenses I’d couple this with a couple skins or a Change-Up so I wasn’t always pulling it off my back to get a lens or flash, and happily shoot all day with it while traveling. It’s a little small for me for international travel, unless I’m doing a big trip in which case I could pack my non-essential photo gear into it, and put it with some other stuff into my Stormcase and pull it out and use it on location. Still, for that I’d go with the Airport International, Airport Acceleration, or my much-loved and well-beaten Airport Addicted. For local photographers who just want a day pack for their gear and a laptop, again, it’s an ideal bag.

What this bag is not is a technical bag I’d want to take on long rainy or extreme treks – I still think the best bet for adventure shooters is something with sealed zippers. Still, this isn’t a criticism, and it doesn’t at all mean these bags can’t take a beating. My Aiport Addicted has been over the world with me and in countless crappy locations and it’s taken a beating over and over again.  The tough choice for me if I were looking for a smaller pack would be between the Streetwalker Bag and the new Shapeshifter bag which also has my attention, but for sheer ease of use, the Streetwalker would be my choice.

I encourage you, if this bag interests you, to go to the site and look at the full feature list and photographs there. To date I now have 4 Think Tank bags, three belt systems, and more assorted accessories than I can count and with one small exception they’ve all performed flawlessly. I had a drawstring go on one of my Skins, but to be fair I beat the hell out of that one bag and loaded it beyond what was reasonable, day after day. And Think Tank replaced it immediately.

It’s not long before people with a passion for both photography and travel hit upon the idea that combining the skills is a cash-crop just waiting to be harvested. Then they email me. Or Matt Brandon. Or Gavin Gough. No doubt people like Rick Sammon or Bob Krist get flooded with the same emails asking the same question.

How do I make money as a travel photographer?

Ah, the age-old search for the hidden pot o’ gold! My friend Gavin recently answered this question on The Vision Collective and I think his reply was spot on – if you’re going to make a living from travel photography “you’re either going to have to work bloody hard or live very cheaply. Probably both.”

First, I think the matter of “travel photography” needs to be more clearly defined. It’s probably more helpful to see yourself as a photographer specializing in certain types of images for certain markets. How do I make a living? I clearly identify those images and then find the buyers that want them. That, in a nutshell is the answer to the question. The fact that I go places to do it, in an increasingly shrinking world, isn’t what sets me apart.

The more relevant question is how do I find buyers for my talent and my images? And that is a broad, broad answer. Marketing yourself as a “travel photographer” takes the same know-how as marketing yourself as a commercial photographer based in NYC.

Gavin’s reply is helpful because it immediately disabuses us of this “get on a plane, take some pictures, return home to sell them and live of the vast proceeds”  rubbish. It’s hard, hard work. You get exhausted. You get sick. You get mugged. And then you return home and flog your hard-earned wares to a marketplace saturated with images of the same places you were just shooting – many of them (dammit!) better than yours. So if you don’t do this first for the pure, unadulterated, love of it, and with the willingness to suffer typhoid and malaria as thanks for a job well-done, then, well, ahem – move along, citizen. There is nothing to see here.

If on the other hand, you’re still hanging on my every word, and still want to do this, well, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news first – it’s hard, and there is no one answer to the question at hand. The good news, so long as you stay debt free and keep traveling, you’ll be doing what you love. Screw the riches and fame, who needs it when you can be eating lentil slop on rice and sipping chai by the Ganges?

Still with me? Still asking that nagging “how do I make a living at this” question? Here’s some thoughts, and none of them are a magic wand.

10 Thoughts on Making A Living As A “Travel Photographer”

1. Be really, really, good at what you do. Keep getting better at it and do it because you love it.

2. Be diverse in your offerings. The more sources of income you have the better.

3. Learn to write well. Travel photography and writing go hand in hand and the more value you give to prospective clients, like magazines, the more that work will go to you and not the other guy who, all other things being equal, can’t string a sentence together. You don’t have to be able to write, but if you can, it’ll help.

4. Research. So you want to leverage the 10,000 images you took while traveling last year? Stock might be the way to do it. You won’t likely make a living on stock alone, though some have, but if you’re looking to supplement your income, do your research. What is selling? Where are the holes in stock libraries? What do the stock libraries want? Stock is not the panacea that some people wish it were, so do your research, don’t bet the farm on it, and don’t for a minute think of it as a dumping ground for the b-roll stuff no one else will buy. It’s competitive out there.

5. Make a list of every client you think might want your images. In-flight magazines, resorts, tourism boards, book publishers, web publications – make a long, long list. Now create a marketing plan that gets you, your unique images and talent, in front of those people. Meet them. Stay in front of them. Hope to hell they call you.

6. Keep shooting even when they don’t.

7. Most of us can’t travel year-round. But think about this – European travel-photographers spend thousands of dollars to come to Vancouver and shoot. I live here – what market-needs could I be serving with images of Vancouver that cost me exponentially less to create? The CEO of a stock agency I work with just reminded me that every skyline in the world is constantly changing and with those changes comes a need for more images. Do you have an image bank of “travel photography” for your own city? Why not? I don’t, perhaps I’ll answer that one in another blog post. Probably a really defensive one. Or I’ll just get off my ass…

8. Further to #7 – I still don’t believe the title “Travel Photographer” is helpful. If you’re shooting images in your home town then they aren’t really “travel photographs” – so what are they? Answer that and you’ll discover new places to sell your images. Do you love adventure travel stuff? Lifestyle? Editorial? Why don’t you have a portfolio you’re shopping to ad agencies in your town? And if you can shop that portfolio to ad agencies in your town, why not in places you want to travel to – Mumbai? Paris? Timbuktu? (OK, I’m going to guess Timbuktu has no ad agencies, I was just checking to see if you were still with me.)

Now it’s your turn.
I’ve saved #9 and #10 for you. Give me your best ideas in the comments section and before I head out on my next trip in two weeks (Havana – Cairo – Kathmandu – Bangkok – Hanoi – San Francisco) I’ll pick the best two, assign them to #9 and #10 and I’ll send you a signed copy of my new book Within The Frame when it comes out in May.