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Acratech GV2 Ballhead: Review & Giveaway
December 26th, 2008
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.
My all time favourite photo… hmmm, Can I nominate a series instead: Damon Winter’s Neighbors series?
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/lens-the-grim-reaper-and-the-hot-dog-eater/
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/neighbors-downtown-double-take/
I love the way he uses double exposures: cleverly juxtaposing compositional elements to make best use of the light and dark areas of each image in the double exposure.
More here:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/category/lens/page/2/
Hello – my name is Tim. I am not a landscape shooter but we recently picked up a wide angle lens and want to start goofing around with some big sceneries. Unfortunately there aren’t too many here in Columbus so we will just have to get creative.
All time favorite photograph huh? Thats a tough one. Right now my all time favorite would probably be by a little known photographer out of Ohio. It is a shot of a dad and his daughter walking along a road into the fog of the morning. For some reason it just speaks to me and most likely, before too long into the New Year, it will be hanging in our home.
Have a blast in Kathmandu David! We will be praying for safe travels for you! Happy New Year!
Doh – forgot to leave a link to the pic. Does this mean I get entered twice?
http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=664375
My favorite photographer changes all the time. Right now I am in a phase where I admire what people have done which I may never have the physical skill to even try. Therefore I am going to say Galen Rowell is my favorite.
My favorite all-time picture? I recently spent 3 weeks in the French Polynesian Islands on a non-touristic island helping my fiancee wrap up 3 months of conservation work and was invited to take pictures of the local kids as they celebrated “Culture Day”. The kids were dressed up in the most incredibly colorful flower apparel and I spent the whole afternoon taking pictures and interacting with them; it was amazing.
My favorite picture didn’t actually originate from my camera but that of my fiancee’s. She grabbed a shot of me surrounded by 7 or 8 kids who were all begging me to take their picture while I laughed and promised that I’d get each one.
I’m the guy behind the camera so I rarely appear in pictures. That picture will always be a reminder of an unforgettable trip.
Hello. I don’t want to be opportunist. I like Anne Geddes
I know that I loose but let me explain. I’m trying to be honest as much as I can. Of course I love other photographers as well but because you said “…close to losing my respect” something switch inside me and said: “hey, if this guy can lost respect to hear Anne Geddes, so what 
” I can look in the mirror and say: I didn’t lost respect for my self.
p.s. I love Joe McNally too
Maybe my favorite photo is William Albert Allard’s ‘Henry Gray’ from his ‘Vanishing Breed’ book. I think this is a powerful, iconic and quintessentially American image that will stand the test of time. Wonderful gesture and emotion and balance, with typical Allard attention to color and composition.
Bad copy of the image here:
http://www.temple.edu/photo/photographers/allard/allard2.htm
My favorite picture at this moment is a fungus picture
I took from a trip to Costa Rica. It has a “spider web like blanket” over the cap that comes down to ground.
It looks like a mushroom with a Vail.
I have to say that I’m not a favourites kind of guy. My wife is always asking me…what’s your favourite food, what’s your favourite movie…and I say…it depends. It depends on my mood, the temperature outside, any any number of uncontrollable variables.
Well the same applies here as well. It depends. So I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say my favourite photo is any TYPE of photo that inspires me to pick up my camera or that makes me want to jump on a plane and travel to the far reaches. For instance I recently saw some of Phil Borges work in a magazine and was instantly transported with him to Tibet, Africa, India. Those are now favourites of mine.
Call me what you will…my wife says I’m an on the fence sort of guy and sometimes in life you must choose something. I say…what for? I’ll choose them all if I like all them damn it!
My favorite personal photo was taken in Luang Prabang, Laos. Sun setting over the mountains with the Mekong river, fishermen and canoes adding lines and details.
Oh man…a favorite photo. I don’t think I could choose just one, but my favorites are the one’s that make you think and wonder what is actually happening in the scene. And ones where the lighting is incredible and you just sit and wonder how they are lighting the scene. Thanks for the chance David.
Happy Boxing Day! (Since you’re Canadian you actually know what that is) – I hope you’re taking it easy though, I doubt Canon Batteries will be on sale up here anytime soon.
I’ll say this to anyone who asks – don’t cheap out on the tripod – you’ll be spending at least $200 and you SHOULD spend $400+ because you’ll just wish you did. If you get a cheap tripod it’s just a down-payment on a better Manfrotto or Gitzo, then, later you’ll wish you had a Magfibre/Carbon Fibre because taking the aluminum thing is just too darn heavy…
My favourite photo? Changes, I try to keep it my own – yes I LOVE other peoples photos, and they certainly inspire and awe me, but if I don’t love what I’m doing then, well, I’ll be fairly lost.
I still really enjoy a shot I took in Iceland as I was out on a long day hike. I was tired, hungry, and didn’t have any other food with me, but I looked back, and just HAD to keep shooting: http://jvl.stasis.org/pixelpost/index.php?showimage=322
The image brings back the exact feeling I had while I was up there, alone, free, and taking photos of a very unique place.
Ahhh… a favorite photo. I’ll pick from mine not because I’m all that but because it’s a photo of someone I consider all that: my son. And it happened that I took it yesterday (I have a very short memory span). He loves to read, loves books and this Christmas he got a lot of them. The photo is of him pouring over a book with this intense look on his face and the way the late afternoon sunlight was coming through the window bouncing off his face, it looks like there’s a glow coming out of the book and washing over him. Yesterday, today, tomorrow… probably forever… it will be one of my favorite photos.
Merry Christmas. Your blog has been a great source of info and great fun to read.
Wow, I’ve been looking at ball heads for weeks now, and I keep coming back to this Acratech GV2. I’ve looked at all the best closely, Arca-Swiss, Really Right Stuff, Kirk, Markins, etc.. I talked to the wife of the designer at Acratech, she was very nice.
Last week I was at a local camera shop, and the guy showed me a used Acratech Ultimate Ball Head, left side rubberized knob with the dent pin, that I had a chance to play around with on top of a few tripods. I think I would’ve surely bought it if I didn’t know about the GV2, with the leveling clamp. Something about that head seems to be calling out to me.
I also just got up a 5D mark II the other day from B&H. I’ve been waiting a long time for that camera, perhaps a bit longer than most. You see, I’m a disabled person whose lost much of the use of my arms and hands as a result of a motoring accident back in 2003. I was left with only partial function of my left hand so I trained myself to operate the controls with my left, while strapping the camera to my nonfunctional right hand, which is basically a permanently mounted swing arm for my cameras these days.
I started out using super zooms and shied away from DSLR’s because none of the best manufacturers had live view until recently. But some years ago I trained myself to use a standard camera looking the viewfinder and do pretty well I think. Nevertheless I’m happy to see Canon produce a high-end small camera that offers me everything I want. It’s what I was looking forward to and thinking about when I bought a couple of L lenses back a few years ago.
Next week I’ll be getting my Induro tripod, my first light weight tripod, so all I need now is the right ball head to go with it. But whether I win one here or not, I’m pretty sure I’ll end up with the GV2 in the end.
And sorry, I don’t really have an all-time favorite photo, I guess I don’t really even think about photography that way. Perhaps the photo that I have yet to take is my favorite. I like the photo of the little girl with the goat in the December 24 post here, and I like that famous Muhamed Ali photo, where he is standing over Sonny Liston.
Cheers, and good luck to everyone.
Well, let me jump shamelessly into the fry. My favorite all time photography? The Endurance beset in ice in the Weddell Sea by Frank Hurley. Season Greetings all.
Without question my favorite image of all time is an iconic image by AA: Moonrise Hernandez NM. That image literally changed the course of my life. I was in High School when I first saw it printed in Popular Photography Mag. I cannot begin to explain the impact that one image had on me. I had no idea that a mere picture could carry so much emotion. It set me on a life long journey of trying to capture the same type emotion that I felt looking at the pages of that magazine.
I wrote AA a letter that same day to tell him how his image impacted me and wondering what a print would cost. I received a letter back from his assistant who told me how much AA had appreciated my response and that I could pick up an 11×14 signed print for $350!!! Of course to a 70’s high school rat, that was a lot of money. Today that print would have been worth thousands!
BTW, I’m still on that journey. Thanks!
Initially, I had a hard time with what is now my favorite image – “Famine Victim, Sudan, 1993 by James Nactway” (http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/jn/images/JN0011SUINGA.jpg)
At first I saw this as a journalist preying on immeasurable suffering for the sake of a photograph. Then I watched the podcast of James speaking at the TED conference.
James’s commentary on the image was “With absolutely nothing, this man refused to give up. If he would not give up, how could the rest of the world give up”.
This image and this statement changed my entire outlook on photography. For me, photography went from simply taking pretty pictures to a medium to communicate what is really happening in the world to those that can help.
Cheers,
J
Definitely a NG photo: “Goldfinches ride on the head of a woman in Kabul.” Its such a strong, powerful image, it speaks volumes very subtly, without slamming you in the face with its meaning.
http://www.globalprovince.com/abercrombie.jpg
Jodi Cobb said it best: “The perfect exception to the lack of irony in the magazine’s pages. . . was Tom Abercrombie’s picture of the veiled woman and caged birds caught in one iconic image: The message is as crystal clear as it is unexpected and rings as true today as it must have then.”
Hard to beat Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl. It is haunting!
Quick question as i’ve been thinking about putting myself in the market for a new head/tripod combination quite a bit today .. How is it for balance? What I mean is, I do pretty much have landscape as my main area and this morning I was across in the Welsh countryside & the 190+486 combo just wasn’t up to it. I hit the lake district & the Peak District the weak before and same thing. Shaking I can put down to the tripod, but what i’m thinking is the head, is a definite tendency to drop a mm or two when i’ve lined up on something and then let go to use the remote. Does the GV2 exhibit anything similar d’you know?
As for favourite pics, well, an easy one for me. As I say, i’m landscape by passion and as such see so much beauty in landscapes it’s almost hard for me to be inspired by a single one. What does inspire me every time I see it though, is an area i’m not really interested in as such, portraits. It’s the shot of Audrey Hepburn, politically incorrect cigarette & holder in hand, taken during the filming of Breakfast at Tiffany’s linkage @ http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1580936,00.html Incredible lady in more ways than just beauty, stunning photo that captures the magic
Regards & Merry Christmas to all
This is my favorite photo…well okay it’s my favorite that I took. It’s too hard to choose just one from the other list
http://www.flickr.com/photos/petermacdonaldphotography/2919524899/
My all time favorite photo that I have taken (I don’t dare open the category to others or the competition becomes overwhelming) is of my then-girlfriend, who I married a week ago today. It’s a simple candid headshot, but it captures her personality that I love like no other photograph I’ve taken (yet!).
Thank you for the opportunity!
Brett
I’ve been wavering between buying a Kirk or Acratech ballhead, and am “that close” to buying one. I’ll wait to see if I’m the lucky winner before placing my order!
My favorite photo has been my favorite for many, many years. It is Moonrise (Hernandez, New Mexico), by Ansel Adams. What I love most about the photo is the magic of the shot, how Ansel saw this scene unfold as he was driving en-route to somewhere else. Suddenly, he saw the shot, stopped on the gravel shoulder, frantically setup his camera, and shot without his light meter – mentally calculating his exposure and catching the shot mere seconds before the light faded from the crosses in the churchyard. It’s the perfect blend of skill honed from years of training and practice, and lucky opportunity. As Ansel said “chance favors the prepared mind” – I strive to emulate him, to be prepared to take advantage of the chances that come my way.
My all time favorite photo was taken by the crew of Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve 1968. Frank Boreman called it “Earth Rising.” That photo might have been the high point for a year the earth saw Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobbie Kennedy shot.
W. Eugene Smith produced some of the most powerful photographs ever made. But the most beautiful and moving of his images to me, is the one of a mother bathing her daughter from the Minamata series. The village in Japan had been devastated by mercury poisoning.
My favorite photo is of my first daughter taken around age 3. We were on vacation and I used longer lens to capture a great portrait. She has always given great eye contact in photos and this was no exception. She wasn’t really smiling or posing. She just looked at me in a relaxed but engaged way that was pure magic. I may be a little biased but It’s hard to beat a great photo when the subject is giving so much.
It was taken about 5 years ago and I was still using film (slide).
I’m not sure what my all time favorite would be, but this one (http://www.spoolphotography.com/portfolio/new-images/panoramic/horizontal/59/) would be one of my favorites at the moment. It just captures the essence of the Western Australian coast line beautifully.
Here is my favorite from this year: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/83534491/AFP . It makes me remember that the struggles I face aren’t much compared to what so many people in the world face every day.
My favorite photo is a hard title to assign to just one picture. In the past three years I’ve really been focusing on taking my photos to a new level and I’ve seen so much great stuff. A lot of it has been right here but hey that might just be viewed as pandering for a ballhead!
The photo that really caught me off guard was made by Kenneth Mucke. The photo “The Last Tango” appeared in Popular Photography as the Photo of the Year for 2008. You can see it here: http://photoartcreation.com/-/photoartcreation/default.asp
I remember seeing the picture on a flight from somewhere to somewhere. I sat there for a long time just staring at the picture. It was a couple dancing a tango and so focused on the moment. It sparked so many emotions all at once…
They looked like they were in love, we’re they?
What was the rest of the story? I wanted to know more.
I could go on…. But you should look at it for yourself and form your own conclusions.
David, I see the same in your work and a great deal of your photography makes you want to know more about the photo. I did reach out to Kenneth and found out more about the picture and the couple. It’s amazing what a photo will drive you to do.
My favorite pictures are of my boys. I’ve done a picture a day this year so it’s hard to choose just one. But here is a group of pictures I took back in August of my oldest (5) and it captures all his “boy-ness”!
http://www.perryphotography.us/ilovebw/index.html
My favorite has to be a black and white of Mom sitting in a round chair, smiling and waving at Dad. She’s young, decked out in a funky 70’s bellbottom pantsuit with spots, and in love with the man behind the camera.
My goodness that’s an awesome thing for Acratech to do. I’ve been trying to figure out how to upgrade my cheap ballhead for awhile. The lighter the better! And my favorite photo? I’ll fall in love with the latest one that I can nail, and stay in love until my next great shot.
Ok, I’d love a new tripod because mine has become a bit loose and no longer sits level, so I have to straighten every shot I take with it.
But my favourite photo of all time? I’m really going to have to ponder that one before I commit myself… way to bring on the discipline!
My favorite image could be any out of Nick Brandt’s Out of Africa book published a few years ago. Instead, I went the flickr route with the photographer Paul Octavious.
He captured so many aspects of the fourth of july in this stunning image that I can’t even begin to explain the metaphors that can be read. Either way, I love it, and it’s the sort of image that reinforces the fact that I should always have my camera on me. Because you never know what sort of moment needs capturing.
http://flickr.com/photos/wowzzaa/2646058613/
My favorite picture of all time, is a snap shot of my two year old boy playing in a spray park for the first time. One of the water spouts explodes beneath him. You can see surpise and delight.
Both of my parents are professional photographers, but it took a complete stranger to get me really “in to” photography – and I don’t even know who it was. Going through some posters at Art.com I came across a photograph that was so gorgeous it took my breath away. It was just off a grocery cart that had been abandoned in a street, but in its simplistic, dramatic, and moody black and white the photographer had made brilliant use of the light to create a stunning and gorgeous piece of art. Something clicked at that point and advice my dad had once given me – “don’t photograph the subject, photograph the light” – suddenly made sense. I wanted to learn how to manipulate and understand light to create beautiful works of art out of the seemingly mundane all around us. And I have know idea who that photographer was.
My favorite photo? It’s impossible for me to choose just one but I found this photo series, ” A Mother’s Journey”, incredibly moving: http://www.sacbee.com/502/story/1208666.html
Thank you!
Well I’ve gotta put my name on this list… even though I already have the v1 Acratech head (and love it).
My favorite all-time photo is a digital scan of Delta 3200 B+W film from my first doc trip. It was a night shot, a group of men outside an encampment hunched around a beatup old van delivering cassette tapes. Two battery powered spotlights spilled light in a semicircle away from them and created an eery, mysterious scene.
To me, Ansel Adams’ ‘Clearing Winter Storm” is still the ideal photograph.I shoot alot of lansdcapes and an image of that lasting beauty and power is what I aspire to.
well, it would have to be Yousuf Karsh’s portrait of Churchill. I know, so cliche, but as far as portraits go it is still powerful to this day. Now that I am getting more into portrait photography images like this really get my attention. And I cant think of a better way to improve my own techniques with the use of such a nice ball head. How’s that
Happy Holidays everyone
favorites
Photographer: Lee Friedlander: Shot: Las Vegas, 2002
Student Photographer: Steve Swartwood: Shot: Stevelander
Me: The last shot I processed: SomersetRiv http://pixelnrg.blogspot.com/
My favourite photo of all time probably hasn’t been taken yet. And I find it really difficult to think of one favourite photo (though there are many which stand out). Maybe I’ll just describe one that is personal. But I didn’t take it. In fact it was taken over 13 years before I was born. It’s black and white and I’m afraid i don’t even know the photographer’s name, though the photo has been published. It’s more of a technical than an artistic shot. It isn’t even of another human being (my preferred subject) although the story it tells is most certainly human (and perhaps more than that).
It’s a photo of the rear of a WW2 RAF Lancaster bomber, on the tarmac, taken from mid upper gun turret. There is an uneven hole in the fuselage half way to the tail where a bomb from another aircraft passed right through the plane without exploding, a real ‘blue on blue’ incident.
The photo speaks to me about the dangers of war, the risks taken by those who fought it and, since it was a bomber, raises the painful question of ‘collateral damage’ caused to the civillian populations. It reminds me that war should be avoided wherever possible but that sometimes, due to otherwise unsurmountable evil, that may not be possible.
And it’s personal because, as you have probably guessed, the pilot was my father. That the bomb didn’t explode is not necessarily a mystery (they had a small propeller-like fuse that had to rotate a certain number of times before they would go off – reducing the danger of loading accidents) but the fact that it didn’t take out any supporting spars or control wires as it passed through is remarkable (it almost did for the elsan but that fortunately, wasn’t in use at the time). A few inches either way and I probably wouldn’t be typing this today. From time to time I like to look at it to remind myself of what might have been, what might be, the meaning of it all and the need to be thankful.
And it serves to remind me that my own photography needs to tell stories that are part of the bigger story and that indeed might have influence in the way that story is played out.
http://allislight.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/08/sarah.jpg
At the moment, and because it’s Christmas, this shot by Annie Liebovitz of her daughter Sarah.
If children aren’t enough of a miracle — and Christmas is for celebrating miracles — Liebovitz gave birth to her at the age of 51. In a word, courage.
All the best for 2009
Sebastiao Salgado shot of Chruch Gate Train Station in Bombay India is one of my most favorite images. I remeber seeing it as a young man, realizing that there was to much more out in the world to see, at such a grand scale. That one image inspired a fire in my soul to see the world. Travel now is in my blood, his work was the fuel that’s started my blaze to create of my own vision of humanity in hopes of change. I can only pray that my work will someday have a similar impact in the world..
I am new to relatively new photography as I as still finding my groove. I had picked up the hobby about 15 years ago when I purchased a used Canon t90 and fell in love with the images It could help me generate. Unfortunately at that time by modest means (and a young family to support) put a serious limit to how much I could shoot with the high costs of film and processing.
I picked up a nice DSLR about a year ago and just recently have really started to run with it. I have been on Acratech’s web-sight several times in the last few days as I am going to add a serious ball head to my arsenal.
There are so many great photos out there but one that always moves me is one actually one shot by my wife. She has not learned much about photography but she has a naturally good eye for it. The photo is of our young son sitting in a patch of wild daisy’s. He has a Daisy he had just picked in his hand and has a priceless look of pleasure on his face.
The photo it self was shot on the side of the road in very rural NW Ontario during a tense moment while I was fighting to change a flat tire on my parents truck.
Thanks for doing this – I almost oredered one of these anyway but will wait to see if I get totally lucky!! My favorite photo – of the moment is “Mt Keilas & Chiu Monastery” by Nevada Wier – my all time favorite is one that I saw, and I cannot find the photographer, of a woman and child taken in the 1930’s just before the breakout of WWII and it just seemes as if you can see the despair in her eyes and yet the love and concern she has for her child. I let you know if I find out the details. The image has stuck with me since viewing The Genius of Photography series.
Looks like a great piece of gear that I’d love to own. Need to own. Must own!
Hmmm…how to choose an all-time favorite photograph with my constant changing moods, emotions and perspectives – (no, I don’t have a multiple personality disorder)? But, if I HAD to choose just one, it is a shot I took of a boy fishing from the rusted hulk of a Japanese WWII destroyer wrecked on the beach in the Solomon Islands. An approaching thunderstorm made for amazing light contrasts. Technically, it’s not the best picture I’ve ever taken, but I connect with it emotionally in a way I can’t quite explain – which brings me back to my original point. I think.
I would love a new tri-pod – mine is a total piece of junk. I’m limiting my favorite shot to one of mine, because there are too many from other photographers from which to choose. I have an image of a milkweed pod with the seed “feathers” lit by the sun – it’s a simple shot, but one of my favorites.
My favorite ones are of my kids of course!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomaszli/2761139010/
This is a photo of my son playing around with a 420EZ flash that is connected through a long cord to my 10D. I just like how it makes him glow especially with the ambient cut down so low.
David,
A quality ballhead is something quite desireable and the Acratech GV2 certainly fits the bill.
My favorite photograph is a hard one to look at. This may sound odd, however the photograph is one my father-in-law took in Hiroshima just a couple of months after it was bombed. It is both terrible and beautiful and a constant reminder of the cost of war.
Thank you for doing so much for peace.
David,
I’ve been looking at tripods and ball heads for awhile now – looking for that one that will support anything and everything I have and could ever want – something that I will last. Thanks for your review David – it is another one to add to my long wishlist.
I think my favorite photo is one I commonly come back to study and one that is also etched in my brain as one that is, to me, strikingly simple yet tells everything about another amazing artist – Pablo Picasso. Robert Capa took a photo of Picasso and his son as a infant on a beach in Spain and the pure joy in their faces, the boy’s as a innocent soul and Picasso’s at a moment when he is not being the famous artist just a Dad with his son, speaks to me. It is a photo where life leaps off the page – and to me that is what makes a truly great photograph.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/pop-ups/picasso.shtml )
Thank you David for inspiring me in my never ending quest to become a photograph who captures those unrehearsed moments of life just as you and so many before you have done.
my favorite image is by Charles Cramer – http://charlescramer.com/detail2.php?sort=7
It is simple and yet powerful. This is how it should be.
Ahhh a GV2 ballhead, the only thing missing in my collection. I have a wonderful tripod but no ballhead..
My favorite photo is one that i took myself. It’s a photo of a little boy in Ranthmbore, India. He just got stung by a bee in his left eye and was extremely proud of his fight with the bee. In America we would rush our children to the hospital, but there, the children are so brave. He was so proud and happy to show off his eye. Here is a link to the picture – http://magdalenaphoto.com/blog/?p=4
This is my all time favorite photo and most likely you will see it soon on your forum for a critique since my time is coming up. Cheers
Mag
I’ve spent hours trying to track down my favourite photo of all time. I remember one of Cartier Bresson’s in particular, being amazed at all the elements that came together in that one moment, but I can’t find it online, and it must have been in a library book, because it’s definitely not in any of mine. So, in lieu of that one, I pick C-B’s “Simiane la Rotonde, 1970.”
It is hard to say which photo is my favorite. I have always been inspired by Steve McCurry and as of late Joe McNalley has really made me think through how I shoot. So, not being able to select that one shot that has made me go wow… which many have… I have one photo that I shot this past year that keeps me shooting. It is of a orphan girl from an orphanage in Peru that I have been working at for the past few years.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=991185&l=17785&id=698370035
Fingers crossed here!
Not very original, and it has been already mentioned, but NG cover of Steve McCurry’s Afgan woman photo was hanging in my house until earlier this year when I finally got some of my own pictures framed.
An all time favourite that only lives on in my memory and not on film or cd somewhere, (the dreaded day when you leave your gear at home just cause, well you can’t be bothered to lug it round) was on a windy road in north west Tasmania, Australia. Heading into perfect sunset lighting, i look out the car window to a lush green grassy field with the perfect fence line to take your eye into the frame. About 3/4 s up the hill is a single tree and the sky a gorgeous blue above. The soil around these parts are volcanic thus is blood red. Below the tree due to erosion, little (veins) lines ran out below the tree, making it look like it was it’s root system being exposed. The vividness of living greens constrate with the stripping away of erosion and ‘blood filled’ pulsing veins of the tree…..awesome! Live on oh sweet memory!
Over the years I find that I keep coming back to Edward Weston’s Cabbage Leaf 1931. There were several in the series but the one that I find most memorable is
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8653950@N08/1794608674.
The soft lighting and flowing lines are very sensual, not usually ones first thought when thinking of a cabbage.
And yes I would thoroughly enjoy an Arcatech GV2 ball head. With this ball head, a north facing window and some potatoes, who knows what might happen.
Favourite photographs, for me, are those that stimulate a sense of attachment to them. More often or not images of this nature tend to be ones that I have taken myself because I can remember what i was doing at the time I took it. The image stimulates smells, feelings, emotions and act as magic carpet by taking me back to the point in time I created it.
My all time favourite is a panoramic image of the ‘Fishtail’ mountain in the Annapurnas, taken on a Hasselblad Xpan one cold evening as the sun was setting at Annapurna Base Camp. I had set up on a tripod and waited in hope for the clouds to lift. As if by magic I was rewarded for my patience and the mountain caught the evening sun with clouds lifting apart like a magical theatre show.
The Aratech ballhead would truly compliment my Gittzo travel tripod. Kit has to be small and functional as I carry minimal equipment when trekking in the mountains.
my favorite (among my photos) would probably be this one: http://flickr.com/photos/mike_lao/3150225181/
it’s a bit ‘close to my heart’ because it was the first time that my photo was picked and published in a magazine. =)
just a bit of history on the photo – it was the first time that i was going to shoot that event and i just saw this formation of the group while they were hearing mass prior to the performance. I had to wait until the right moment was there because there were a lot of people walking in front of me. fortunately, i was able to get what i wanted to capture…
My favorite photo is the one I took in Bangkok, Thailand. I was working my way through the Weekend Market and I came across these decorations. I simply knelt down took a series of photos in both landscape and portrait. All of them came out great! But the the one I love most can be found on the front page of my website (http://www.willystraubhaarphotography.com)
http://www.burningflags.com/pics/minor_threat_www.jpg
How can one choose their favorite photo? I am a photojournalist, but I love and appreciate all forms of photography …
The above photograph is an iconic punk rock photo of Minor Threat. The photo was made by Glen E. Friedman, who was lucky enough to witness the early formation of American punk rock through his lens. He is the guy responsible for my picking up a camera and starting to photograph the local music scene back in the mid nineties.
I have since been lucky enough to photograph Ian MacKaye, the singer of Minor Threat, and he was one of my most humble ad gracious subjects. (the image if Ian can be seen in the Music Portraits section of my website at http://www.timsnowphotography.com)
Ian shared stories of Glen with me, who remains a great friend of his after all of these years. It stands out as significant in my mind as, for the first time as a photographer, I felt I have what it takes to make it in this crazy business.
I’ve been trying to decide a single favorite photo… not so lucky with that. But the one that keeps coming back to my head is the camel caravan photo by George Steinmetz… I love it.
http://www.georgesteinmetz.com/image_collections/Desert%20Portfolio/main/STNMTZ_20040201_23.jpg
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Thanks for the opportunity to win a ballhead.
Lomokev (author of the book ‘Hot Shots’) amazes me with his simple but effective approaches to things in urban life. His shot of the Berlin train station Lehrter Bahnhof showed me what is possible with a good eye and a cheap camer.
Okay, second try as the first link did not work . . .
Thanks for the opportunity to win a ballhead.
Lomokev (author of the book ‘Hot Shots’) amazes me with his simple but effective approaches to things in urban life. His shot of the Berlin train station Lehrter Bahnhof showed me what is possible with a good eye and a cheap camera.
On flickr (User lomokev) the picture is titeled ‘up top at berlin hauptbahnhof’ – hope things came out as expected.
http://flickr.com/photos/lomokev/1048945981/
[url=http://flickr.com/photos/lomokev/1048945981/][img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1051/1048945981_7dd7523d08.jpg[/img][/url]
My favorite photo of all time is by a photographer named Marc Adamus.
“Crater Lake, Winter” – Crater Lake National Park
http://www.marcadamus.com/photo.php?id=3&gallery=favorites
I initially saw this photo in a magazine and it was the most beautiful picture I have ever seen as it represents what lengths a photographer would go to get the one image they are looking for to add to their collection. When you look at this photo, it looks to me he ventured out on an overnight camping trip to this location to catch the sunrise. Sometimes, when you want to get a photo you have to go to great lengths to get there and hope that light will be what you are looking for to capture the best photo possible. He got there at the right time and got the best photo I think in my opinion. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen this way but you can always venture back in the future with hopes of getting a better photo as it is about taking chances.
In addition, he was able to experience the beauty in person as the sun was coming up and see what nature can provide for photo opportunities. This opportunity is afforded to everyone and it tells me to go catch the light whenever I can to get the best photo possible whether it is inside or outside. Just capturing the moment is what is all about as you want to leave behind memories to others to enjoy when you are gone.
What I am trying to say life is about chances and you have to go for it to see if it works out for you at that time if not, don’t give up, don’t ever give up as it will come to you in time.
Marc Adamus does that with each and every photo you look at. So got catch the light and you may end up with a photo like the one above.
A bit late to the party, but I’ve been on the road performing familial duties and all that.
I’ve been steeling myself for the investment in some good peripherals (tripod, head, some lighting gear), and the chance to offset the cost of the head is too appealing to pass up.
If forced to pick a favorite photograph, I’d go with James Nachtwey’s photo of a Rwandan genocide survivor. I can’t directly link to it, but it’s the first image that comes up when you click ‘Rwanda’ on his portfolio page (http://www.jamesnachtwey.com)
I always find myself coming back to it because Rwanda is where I started my journey to becoming a photographer, and this photo is incredibly powerful…
Enjoy your ’round the world jaunt, old man!
GKB
One that comes to mind is a shot I took from the STS-116 launch, http://flickr.com/photos/ericmerrill/411820396/ . I’m not sure what it is about the picture I like so much, but it looks almost like a detailed drawing when you look at it at a higher size.
I am hard-pressed to pick just one favorite photograph altho my favorite photographer has got to be Steve McCurry, hands down. Just about any one of his on the fine arts prints page are stunning. Number nine in particular – the colors are absolutely amazing. He is one of the few photographers where I am almost brought to tears.
My current favorite photographer is Dai Sugano. He’s one of the guys behind the brilliant photoblog of the San Jose Mercury News.
I loved your Kenya series. I hope saying that didn’t jinx my chances
It’s difficult to pick just one favorite photographers, but since I’m in the portrait phase right now, I’ll pick Avedon’s ‘Dovima with Elephants’. It appears so ‘fluid’ to me – the elephants’ movement, her sash, and not least her posture.
Hi David,
Reducing to one photograph is pretty darn difficult
and this time I picked up a picture from an Eugene
Smith essay ” Nurse midwife” where some kids are
looking through the window to the miracle of life.
Here is the link
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/f?q=eugene+smith+nurse+midwife+source:life&prev=/images%3Fq%3Deugene%2Bsmith%2Bnurse%2Bmidwife%2Bsource:life%26start%3D42%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN&imgurl=4a078aef2f67620c
About the ballhead, if I result the lucky winner, it
may be a excellent opportunity to change one of
my last names, I mean all of us carry along with
us lots of brands as if they where our lasts names
like you David du Chemin Canon Acratech Blackrapid etc.
Well in my case it will be a nice opportunity to
use the Acratech last name for a while or forever.
Thanks a lot for every thing
Fernando Franco
My favorite photo would have to be one from Avedon’s In The American West book. I tear up every time they come to mind. I’ve read everything out there that I could find on the stories behind making those photos. From his childhood, Avedon knew about mental illness, and somehow he must have also come into contact with hardship. Somehow he was able to slide in right next to the people he photographed and let them know that they were gotten.
wow, how does one pick a single photograph David? I think the “favorite” probably changes often. It changes as life moves in it’s ups and downs. Highs and lows. What you are drawn to is directly tied to where your head is currently…or so I think.
There are SO many great photographs out there! Steve McCurry si great,Joe McNally, Ansel, Mar. Bourke-White (I LOVE the famous shot of the construction workers on the steel beam). Gosh, the list goes on and on. You have some really touching stuff in your gallery as well.
For the moment, the one that brings a smile to my fave every single time is (selfishly) one of my own. It’s a Cambodian Girl taken in July of 2008. On this mission-trip, she sort of became our little angel. Eyes so full of life, unabounded energy and a loving, lonely little girl hiding under her tough street-kid exterior. There are a few of her that work for me, but here is one I have handy: http://www.road2show.com/gallery7.htm#
Thanks David!
My favorite photograph would have to be anything by James Nachtwey but especially the Afghanistan series , 1996 – Mourning a brother killed by a Taliban rocket.
Thanks David and Acratech for doing this
My favorite photograph is a portrait of my infant daughter, wearing her little party dress, lying in a hotel crib in Detroit before meeting her relatives for the first time at a family reunion. The view from directly overhead transforms the crib’s parallel bars into radiating lines with my daughter at the center. The image can be seen here:
http://www.jamestolleystudio.com/
As a new father looking down into my child’s bed, I can’t help contemplating how her future is as unknown to me as it is to her. I believe the photograph conveys her innocence and vulnerability, and hope that it also conveys how her beauty and serenity are a comfort to me.
My favorite picture is Joe McNelly’s picture of the light on top of the Empire State building being changed. It took a lot of guts and skill to get his camera into position to get the picture.
Hi David,
My favourite photo is Robert Doisneau’s ‘The Kiss’. To me, it does exactly what good people photography should do – move you in some way – which is probably why it’s become such an iconic photo. Doisneau’s photos have an honest, moving, often comical narrative and I really relate to his reportage shooting style.
Happy travels!
My favourite photo is one of my wife and son picking apples with one of those baskets on a stick. I shot it from underneath the tree’s canopy, while my son has a white knuckle grip on the stick while my wife tries to subtly guide him to the apple.
My faovrite Photo is Coburn’s Octopus.
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/images/full/coburn/coburn_octopus.jpg
i live in northern wisconsin so i have a great place for wildlife and scenery. my best picture is yet to come as i am just staring photography. i just recently bought a used nikon d300 and having the best time. thank you so much for the opportunity.
it has been a little mind boggling trying to choose a tripod and ballhead for backpacing.
It is said to say but my favorite image is the last one i took of my 17 year old boy. I lost him this November. To all of you make sure you photograph your kids regularly.
Thanks for your interesting blog David. We will have to meet some time I make the trip off the island.
My favorite photo… Well, the one taken by me… I went to the Peruvian Amazon forest. An expensive trip, but so much worth it. I wanted to see parrots in their environment. Up a river for 7 hours, up at 4 AM to be at the clay lick before sunrise and watching those loud and colorful birds congregate in the morning to feed was priceless. Unfortunately, my little point and shoot was not enough to get a good picture, and to make matters worse, my memory card did not transfer the pictures well and I lost The One Picture. That was a tough learnt lesson and I promise myself to go back with the right equipment, and before Peru and Brazil decide to destroy the forest. The big picture is still in my human hard drive…
Happy travel. I envy you!
Favorite photo.. wow.. I really can’t just pick one.. But I recently found some old 35mm slides my dad took back in the day and found one he took from my mom with his Canon AE and the trusty 50mm f/2 (camera and lens not working anymore due to an accident involving rocks, sand and salt water). A beautiful photo, and with emotional meaning… But I haven’t found time to scan those slides yet…
By far my favourite photo is this one: http://jmphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/2821174_c5k4t#443630019_imfAo
The only reason that this is my favourite photo over and above all photos taken by any professional is
simple: I know this girl. Her name is Bethany. She lives on a First Nations Reserve in Northern Ontario–a place I spent four months working with kids and teens. This photo is the last one in a sequence of three shots in which Bethany glides towards me on a playground glider. Honestly, it was one of those fluke shots that happen every once in a while, but it turned out to be the sharpest reminder of a slowly-fading memory.
Thanks David, enjoy your travels!
At the risk of sounding egotistical, I have to admit my favorite photo is one of my own. My reason for choosing it is simple. Many years ago, I encouraged both of my children to try their hands at photography. Back in 2001, my then 25 year old son, who lives on the opposite coast from me, and I met for a few days at Death Valley. While shooting on the sand dunes shortly after sunrise, I happened to glance to my left and noticed a nearby dune with both of our shadows on it. He squatting and shooting hand-held and me behind him standing with my tripod. I swung the camera around and fired off a quick shot. Both my son and daughter developed a love for photography which continues to this day. Being able to share something you love with someone you love is one of the best things in life and this photo constantly reminds me of that.
My favorite shot is a panoramic shot by Peter Lik of the wide expanse of the outback in Australia with a lone tree in the foreground for perspective.
Everytime I think I have found a favourite photograph by photographer Visithra, it is replaced by another newer image from her. She is a young Indian woman living in Malaysia and her beautiful graceful images show what life is all about. My current favourite is a candid photo of two young monks in prayer. The image shows the immense devotion of a monk even at such an early age.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/visithra/2764226443/
The first time I saw images of the Walls of China in Mungo National Park, I told myself I had to get there. It was 1200 kms to drive there a lot of it through the Australian Outback. See the link below for info on the park:
http://www.visitnsw.com/Mungo_National_Park_P629.aspx
The formations on the Walls of China come to life at sunset so for a short period every day, you get these wonderful colours coming in the formations. I camped there for 6 days. One of my best photos would be the one linked below:
http://www.leaveonlyfootprints.com.au/gallery/5299002_fLrog#323229582_TCofx
Safe travels,
André
in Cartier-Bresson’s About Russia book are a number of photos that I often flip back to just to gaze at. What incredible talent at controlling an image. The book makes you want to tour Russia in all it’s black and white cold war glory. I feel the same shivery gasp and awe that great classical music can make me feel. Truly a master.
But then there’s my current desktop photo of me and my granddaughter looking into the lens, me with my arm around her shoulder.
Or my photo looking out over the receeding mountain ranges at Keno Hill here in the Yukon.
Thanks for the chance to win. I actually need a ballhead and was in the process to looking for a discount coupon!
Happy travels.
Peter
Great post, I am currently looking into getting a monopod but looking for a good ballhead to sit ontop of it and this one is definatly in the running still thanks to your review of it.
As far as my favorite photo goes right now I have to be a little biased. Over the holiday season I had the opportunity to work with my son who is 10 months old though. This was my first time doing a staged photo with an infant and it went so well. The image that came out was fantastic, lighting and everything was dead on and I even managed to catch his toothless smile. In the end I was very impressed with the final output and when I brought it to Walgreens to get it printed(as I needed them same day) they almost wouldn’t print it as they believed it was professinally taken by someone else.
I am seriously considering the Acratech GV2 ballhead and I found your comments helpful.
My favorite photograph, shot by Bruce Dale, was used by Nikon to advertise the Coolpix 8400. The picture is of a lighthouse with its reflection in a perfectly still tidal pond created in the shoreline rocks. It is inspirational to me and flamed my desire to shoot landscapes.
Enjoy your trip to Kathmandu
John
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Just wanted to throw my name in the pot. Hope things are going well abroad. Stay safe. I can’t wait to see some images when you return!!
my favorite of all time is the next one I take. sure, i keep a portfolio and keep updating it but i look back on what i shot 1 or 5 or 10 years ago and nothing is as good as what I will shoot tomorrow morning or afternoon or saturday.
Where the heck is BKK?
Craig
Bangkok. I worked at my local airport for nearly 20 years and know the code for pretty much every major airport and quite a few minor ones. To my eternal dismay i’ll be lucky if I ever get to see 10% of them
This is my favorite: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamiemw/3082661217/in/set-72157610842784069/
It’s simple, beautiful, and I’m partial to the little girl (my daughter) in the photo.
I’m leaving a comment because I like round numbers lol.
I have two favourites. One was taken by Chip Thomas, in Africa. It’s titled Handmade Glasses, Handmade Canoe. First saw it in Utne Reader magazine more than ten years ago, ripped the page out, and spent years trying to track down the photographer. As well as taking amazing photos, Thomas is also an MD working on a Navaho reserve. And I’m so glad to have a print of that photo hanging on my walls.
My other favourite was taken by you.
Peace
My favourite photograph? I always hope it will be the next one I take, because every time that’s true it means I’m making progress, at least within the bounds of my own artistic goals.
My favorite photograph would have to be one I took this summer whilst working for the salvation army. It is of an inner city child’s hands holding a dragon fly. It takes my breath away to look at it and think about the transforming experience the kids and staff have at summer camp.
ps. 30 January is my birthday so new ballhead would definitely be an amazing present! (no pressure or anything
)
Maybe not the best picture, but my favorite because I was there “at the scene” and didn’t go wide enough to get this:
http://www.arclight-pictures.com/kangshung_06/ (number 36) – the photograph was taken by photographer/trekking guide/friend Vassi Koutsaftis and the mountains are Makalu on the left – Lhotse and Everest center right.
A shot I took in a swealtering Asian refugee camp years ago.
A used Olympus OM2, B&W Ilford XP2 and a ‘God made’ 35mm f2 – smuggled into the camp against the wishes of the countries repressive government. I was a frustrated relief worker nauseated by how the real story of people’s suffering is cut off when information is controlled. I’d leave the camp at the end of each day and tell everyone I could – but they couldn’t picture it.
But on this day, with a smuggled OM2, the angels sang – the world’s most breathtaking environmental portrait came together (modesty prevents me from telling you how good it really is !). The clouds parted and angels were ascending and descending. And at that moment a believer was born. A believer in photography, in the power images, in giving people hope- that no matter how much barbed wire is put up hope is not squashed. In the magic of photography to build bridges and connect people on the other side of the world with a young man and his family in a squalid camp surrounded by guards, gates and fences on the other side of the world. That I held in my hands and to my eye an instrument of untold power.
Foot note -the magic continued when Amnesty International used that image to help that refugee.. .. light, composition, moment.. … Isn’t photography great !
So far, my favorite photograph is one I shot of my guitar in my kitchen a couple weeks ago at about 10 PM. ‘Twas a simple set up, actually….tripod, prefocus in ambient light, turn out lights, single off-camera flash using Nikon’s CLS, 1/60 at 5.6, and voila! The rich, deep blue color of the hollow body accented by the gold-toned bridge and amber volume control knob now exists as wallpaper for my computer and iPhone. Lovin’ it!
My favorite picture at this point has to be one that I took a couple of summers ago at our company picnic. Our picnic was at a local zoo and I happened to catch a little girl resting her head on some railing watching one of the monkey exhibits. I had just taken up photography and still didn’t really know what I was doing but somehow the planets came into alignment and the photo turn out well.
Acratech GV2 Ballhead Giveaway:
Rainbow over the Potala Palace by Galen Rowell- Rowell’s work continues to inspire me- even after his death. It was always about the light, always. The most mundane subject was elevated to art by his use of it.
I do not have a single image that is my favorite but I do think that Alfred Eisenstaedt’s photo of Joseph Goebbels is possible the strongest photographic capture of pure hate and therefore is among the top images that have had an emotional impact on me.
There are far too many photographs that a have inspired me or moved me or just taken me to some place I can go to to pick just one.
My favorite photo is one of my first “art” photos and one of those “I hope this works” shots. It’s a night shot of a ferris wheel at the 1972 Canadian Nation Exhibition, shot with a Nikkormat and the f/1.4 50mm lens on either Kodachrome of Ektachrome (I can’t remember and the slide’s at home). The photo’s my favorite because the slow shutter speed–probably 1/8 or 1/16 of a second was just long enough for the colored lights on the ferris wheel “arms” show up as broad red, green, blue, and yellow bands. The wheel is backlit against an almost black–Zone II–nightime sky. It’s my favorite because 1) it’s just a cool image, 2) I took it, and 3) that photo convinced me I might have an artistic eye (which wasn’t all that certain up to that point). Because of that photo and its impact on me, I’ve worked hard at being a photographer, learning to see better, and have confidence in my own artistic vision. Thanks.
Probably my most favourite photograph is one taken by Ansel Adams of Yosemite Valley, 1942. When I was younger, before I was into photography or even knew who he was, it somehow grabbed me. For me, it almost looked heavenly. It also was reverberated memories of what I was picturing when I read “The Lord of the Rings” for the first time. Then, as I became interested in photography, it became symbolic to me as the “perfect picture”: one with emotion, drama, great composition and beautiful tones (something I aspired to make). I still love looking at this photograph and it is that timelessness that has made it my favourite photography.
It is maybe not the most beautiful picture that I have ever seen, but for me one of the most powerful ones. It is the famous picture of Nick Ut of Kim Puck fleeing away after a Napalm attack in 1972 in Vietnam (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4517597.stm)
Why? Because it reminds me, and keeps reminding me of the worst AND best in people. The picture is on one hand a nightmare, and keeps lingering in my mind, but when you know the story afterwards, how the cameraman took care of her, and how she now lives happily, thanks to the care of many people in Canada, then it shows that even in hard times, people can do the right thing. And that gives hope.
Ansel Adams’ “Moonlight: Hernandez” is my favorite– I have a copy on the wall of my office. The print, and the story of its making, helps me to remember to get it right on the first shot– I may not get another chance.
Pictures of those I know are the ones that I hold dearest. Old photos of passed on loved ones are such a gift – and why I find myself taking so many photos so often … photos tend to immortalize, I think. The moment seems to stay forever with the film.
But, when I actually stopped to think of what my favourite photo was, I actually thought more of “which photo IMPACTED me the most”. Not just a pretty one … but one that told an entire story in one frame.
The photo that came to mind was of Tiananmen Square in 1989. I did some research anfd found that it was taken by Jeff Widener. Perhaps not the most scientifically perfect shot – but for me, time stands still. Good vs. Evil.
I think it’s brilliant.
… here’s a link I found: http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/tiananmen-square-1989.html
Hi I stumbled upon your site quite by accident. I was looking for a discount coupon to buy a new acratech ultimate ballhead… but the GV2 will do just fine!
My favorite all time shot is one I took of leaves, back in the days when I was a student of photography in the hills of the Nilgiris, India.
Here’s a link: http://sites.google.com/site/williamchangimagesleaves/