PixelatedImage Blog

March is coming and with it some big changes. And a new wallpaper. Click the image above or HERE to get the small one, and HERE to get the big one.

I made this photograph on the Masai Mara in late January, part of a one-month sojourn in Africa and time among nomadic tribes in the north before flying home to pack my life into boxes and prepare to begin a nomadic journey myself. It’s now the end of February as I write this. Every stick of furniture has been sold, conveniently, to the woman moving into my old condo. My remaining possessions have been boxed and stored, and my cameras and laptops and other essentials have been put into Pelican cases and packed in the truck. The truck, Jessie (read more about Jessie and our travel plans HERE), has had some issues and it’s been an adventure just getting her ready for this journey. Some of the pieces got done very last minute, some will just have to wait.

Tomorrow morning my buddy Al Smith and I will jump into the Land Rover and head to Tofino for a few days on the far west side of Vancouver Island to get the bugs out of the truck. Then I’ll come back to Vancouver, pick up Dave Delnea and head south towards Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, down the Oregon coast and eventually to San Francisco. At San Francisco Dave will fly home and I’ll just keep going.

Keep an eye on the blog, and on Twitter – that’s where you’ll find me, and when I pull into a town with time to spare I’ll let you know where you can find us and share a coffee or a meal.

Ok, big deep breath. Here we go.

The latest addition to the Craft & Vision library is  Andrew Gibson’s The Evocative Image. Subtitled A Photographer’s Guide to Capturing Mood, Andrew’s latest is a great primer on introducing an intentional mood to a photograph. Where our hope for a photograph is to communicate more than just information, but to create impact and an emotional response, an understanding of some of the tools to create mood is essential.

Andrew discusses interpretation, golden hour, blue hour, low light, wide apertures, long lenses, and other technical considerations that have an aesthetic effect on the mood of the photograph. Like most C&V titles it’s far from comprehensive but was written to inspire and inform enough that you get out there with your camera and do the one thing that will really allow you to internalize and make these ideas your own – experiment and play.

In addition to a solid text and Andrew’s usual calibre of photographs, this is our first ebook to come out of the hands of our newest layout artist, Luke Taylor, and it looks fantastic!

If you’ve been wondering how to add more emotion and impact to your images, this is a great place to begin. As always, we offer discounts on the release of the latest eBooks, as a thank you to regular readers, and a chance for new readers to add more than one title to their library. If you buy The Evocative Image before March 1, 2011 using coupon code EVOCATIVE4 you can have it for $4 instead of $5. If you buy 5 titles using coupon code EVOCATIVE20 before March 1, 2011 you can have them for 20% off.

Mongolia, 2008. Image shot for World Vision Canada.

With all the talk about technique it’s easy to forget, or to never learn at all, that the most important skills in portraiture aren’t photographic at all. You can use your fanciest 135/2.0 or 85/1.2 lens, blast 3 SB900 flashes through 6-foot octaboxes, or choose the best backgrounds the world has ever seen and create portraits that are beautiful but lifeless. Or worse, beautiful but without being a reflection of the subject of that portrait. The best portraitists use a variety of gear and technique to create their portraits. What they share in common is a love for, and curiosity about, people. They respect their subjects enough to engage them, to dig a little deeper, and to create something that’s collaborative – one to make the photograph, the other to reveal themselves. Neither task is easy. I’m re-learning these lessons in deeper ways lately.

My last assignment, from which I’m barely now recovered, was primarily to create a series of portraits and landscapes that reflect the lives of the Samburu, Rendille, and Turkana in northern Kenya for The Boma Project. As I made portraits day-in and day-out for 2 weeks I found myself waiting longer and longer, becoming more patient, and making better portraits. So often we get uncomfortable staring through the lens at someone. They get uncomfortable and awkward, and we pack it in. What I’ve found is that the longer I wait, the more willing I am to push through the moments of awkard, the more rewarded I am when that tension breaks, when a genuine laugh comes, when they look over my shoulder at friends, or just simply return my unflinching gaze with something more than awkwardness or boredom and look past the front lens element and beyond, into the camera.

My most valued skill has become not an ability to use natural light or pose a subject, but patience, and a willingness to wait for that moment, the one Steve McCurry talks about as the moment when the walls come down and the soul comes into view. I wait longer now – just waiting, no talking, no trying to make the moment happen -  and am more satisfied with the authenticity of the emotions and characters I’m seeing in my photographs.

Almost 3 months ago I started talking about the plans that Jessie and I had. You can read the full story HERE. Hard to believe it’s almost time to cast off the bowline and set the sails, but on February 26 I give the condo keys back to the landlady, spend two last days in Vancouver sleeping on the floor of a friend’s studio and on February 28, I start driving. My buddy Dave Delnea is planning to come with me for the first leg, and that might delay our border crossing by a few days, so I may take the ferry across the water and spend three or four days island hopping first, but around the 3rd of March we plan to head south for the Olympic Peninsula.

The truck, Jessie, has not been without growing pains. She’s had a lot of work to make her ready for this overland trip, and is still in the shop now. The artwork at the head of this post was inspired by WWII nose-art on planes and Jessie will be sporting this on her doors. The Autohome, my new home for the rest of the year has just been installed on the roof. It’s a queen-sized bed in a tent, wrapped in fibreglass and it’s fantastic. Bigger than the bed in this condo. My 4×4 guys sent me these last night:

The new transmission is in and I’m told she’s running beautifully, though I’ve yet to have time to myself with her. We also installed an auxillary battery that’ll power my computers, cameras, cooler, etc., without draining the main battery. In the coming days the bonnet/hood will get a big piece of black checkerplating, to match the ones on the wings, so I can stand on it to shoot. She’ll also get security grills for windows and a massive lockbox installed in the back. It’ll be easier to tow the whole beast away than steal my stuff from the back.

Speaking of stuff, I’ve narrowed it down to 4 Pelican 1650 cases, 8 small Rubbermade Action Packers, 2 duffle bags, a Think Tank Retrospective 30, a HUGE Patagonia courier bag, and assorted loose bits like camp stove, MSR tarp, MSR tent, tripods, a GPS, an iPad, a 12v cooler, and a Virgin Mifi unit. The rest got sold or put into storage.

Plans haven’t firmed up much in terms of itinerary. I’m keeping things as loose as I can at the moment. I’m giving Jessie the benefit of the doubt but she’s proven a bratty 18-year old given to displays of hard-headedness and until I’ve taken her through a few hundred problem-free miles I won’t be making any promises about where I’ll be or when. My first real stop will be in San Francisco because I’ve got a quick flight to Chicago to catch before coming back to SFO and making Santa Fe my next big milestone.

I picked up a couple GoPro Hero HD video cameras I plan to mount on the truck, and if I get comfortable with it I’ll post the odd video blog from the road in addition to the usual installments of way too many words, introspective navel-gazing, and the occasional photograph.

I am having a small informal get-together on February 27 between 5pm and 9pm in Vancouver. It’ll be small but I’ve got 10 spots open for blog readers. If you want in, drop an email to Corwin at PixelatedImage dot com and we’ll pick 10 to join us. I hope to see the rest of you at some point on the road. If our paths cross, I’d love to have a coffee. You can keep following my adventures here or on Twitter, which I’ll be using a lot (@PixelatedImage) or you can chose to follow Jessie on Twitter instead. She’s @JessieTrip.

11 days and counting…

Shooting portraits in the desert on the shores of Lake Turkana, Northern Kenya with a Nikon D3s, 300/2.8 VR II, and Gitzo Ocean Traveler. Photo Credit: Corwin Hiebert.

As many of you already know, my transition to Nikon happened much faster than I anticipated. I got a lot of curious emails and tweets about The Switch, but very little of the rabid fan-boy nonsense I worried I might get. Late last year I got two new Nikons, and last month sold all my Canon gear, sending it to good homes from Vancouver to Utah to Malaysia. I am now shooting Nikon only, with the exception of the Canon 5D and 17-40 lens still sitting in an Aquatech housing for underwater work.

Initially I took the cameras to New Zealand, loved working with them, and now, coming off an almost 4-week African adventure, I thought I’d finally give in to the questions about how I’m liking the new gear.

My first reaction surprised me, though it shouldn’t. I love, love the new gear. But now that I’ve shot with the best that Canon and Nikon offer I can honestly say I care even less than I once did about the brand wars. No brand will make you a better photographer, nor will the new Nikon D4x II or Canon 1Ds Mk XXI. You do that. Through long years and humble work and seeking good critical voices to listen to. So if I get even one question about whether my photographs are better now I swear I’ll publicly wrestle you to the ground and make you wear the Cone of Shame.

What do I love about the two Nikon D3s bodies I’m shooting with? They fit me better. I just like the way we work together. Buttons are where they belong for me. The shutter, and the rest of the camera feels more solid. It’s weighted in a way that I like. The low-light noise is amazing. They focus beautifully most of the time and when they don’t it seems simply to be the slightly slower Sigma lenses I’m using. But put the Nikon 300/2.8 VR II on there and wow! These bodies performed incredibly in the most gruelling conditions I’ve ever shot in, taking daily abuse in temperatures of up to 45C/113F and never failing after 2 weeks of brutal off-road bouncing around in bags with little padding. The sensors on both are pretty dusty right now, but that’s not their fault; it’s a mix of Sigma lenses that don’t seal at the body, and my too-casual attitude about tools being tools. I switched lenses more and was slower to put the cameras in bags this trip.

What else do I love? The same thing I’d have loved if this switch were from Nikon to Canon: the forced change of my creative process. Suddenly I’m having to think about my tools again and where I once might have chosen a series of settings out of habit, I’m forced, through unfamiliarity, to be very intentional about things. The discovery is a lot of fun and I think when you re-inject fun into your process you give the muse some room to dance.

Do I miss anything? Sure. I loved Canon’s big scroll-wheel on the back. I miss knowing where everything is without thinking. I miss my 85/1.2 lens. But really, no. A camera’s a camera and while I like working with these D3s bodies a whole lot, I’d be crazy if I told you they were “revolutionizing my photography” or finally allowing me to “shoot like a pro.” Ugh. Was it worth the switch? That’s a tough one to answer. For me, it was, but those reasons are unrelated to whether the cameras make better photographs. If that’s why you’re switching, save your money and spend your time making more photographs.

And what about Sigma? Sigmas lenses continue to surprise me. For the money, they perform beautifully. Yes, the 70-200/2.8 feels slower at times, and they don’t seal at the body like most of my Canon L lenses did. But their 85/1.4 and 20/1.8, for example, are sharp and create beautiful photographs. I got on board with Sigma because I like the idea of making photographs with a stable of lenses that are a little more financially accessible to the people I teach. And, to be honest, I’m a little tired of the whole “Well, sure, I could make great photographs if I had the new Nikon/Canon 10-200/2.0 VR III” nonsense. Work with what you have. Sigma, so far, has not let me down. Weirdly, I’ve had f/0 or f/92 show up as my f/stop a couple times but I think that’s just filthy contacts. Once the cameras and lenses are cleaned I’ll keep you posted.

Yes, there are cameras that allow us to meet client needs better, and some cameras are faster than others, so pragmatically one may be better than another for one person or one need, but I’m hoping we’re all becoming a little more savvy about the brand wars, a little more aware we’re being manipulated. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: photographs matter, brands don’t. I’d happily go back to Canon and keep photographing beauty as I see it. Right now I’m liking the Nikons, but folks, I’ve got a used D200 coming from a friend and I plan to use it to make beautiful photographs too and I’ll bet the farm no one looks at those photographs and says “Well I could make images like that too if I had a fancy obsolete D200.” It just ain’t the tools. So if you’re relying on a different brand, newer and shinier body, another fancy lens, or an HDR tutorial, you’re looking in the wrong place.

I’m just back in Nairobi now, but wrote this a day or two ago. The image above is from Lake Naivasha, not from the Boma shoot, for which you’ll have to wait to see images once the client’s had first crack at them.

As I write this there’s a large bull elephant about 18 feet from my bed. We’re at Samburu Lodge and after 12 days in the bush we’re finally heading back to what people keep calling the real world. For me it’s a return to a real bed and a toilet I can sit on, not much more. This is very much the real world, though not one we often choose to see. The vast bulk of the world doesn’t have a large-screen TV or two cars in the driveway. The majority world still cooks on three rocks and a fire. Already I miss waking up in the small stick huts we’ve been sleeping on, hearing the breeze and the din of northern Kenya as it wakes at dawn instead of a too-loud ceiling fan. We’ve had an unbelievable adventure with Kathleen Colson and The Boma Project team for whom I am working. Still, it’s good to be heading home.

One of the huts we called home over 12 days. This was probably the fanciest. Look, it has a door!!

I’ve shot over 6800 frames, inhaled enough dust to last a lifetime and what dust didn’t end in my lungs made its way into my cameras. Some days it was as hot as 45C / 113F, and even the folks that live in the heat were seeking shelter. I’ve had 5 flat tires, fired an AK 47, drove a Defender across the Kaisut Desert, swam nervously in Lake Turkana with the highest concentration of crocodiles in the world, ate beans, rice, cabbage, mutton or camel for most meals. I was adopted by a Rendille Village and given a Rendille name. I played Mzungu Will Eat You in every village (Mzungu means “white man or stranger” and the game consists of me throwing my hands in the air and chasing the kids. I’m very scary ) I got violently ill in a town that Google doesn’t know exists. I photographed Rendille elders, Turkana dancers, and Samburu warriors. I put in countless hours with my best friend/field producer/assistant Corwin, for whom this was a first trip to Africa. In short we had an absolute blast.

If you like this photograph of Corwin dancing with the women in Korr, you’ll love the video! Click HERE to see the YouTube video of our cultural ambassador in action!

I’ve got a few days in Nairobi to do some basic file prep and re-entry stuff, check in on Jessie, and get laundry done, then it’s home on the 15th/16th for a blitz of getting things done before Jessie and I hit the open road. I’m coming home inspired. After this time with these nomads, people who re-define the lower limits of poverty for me, it’ll be easier to take less on the road with me. It’ll be easier to live on less. It’ll be harder to withhold help where I can give it. These trips always change me.

I’m often asked if I get culture shock when I go away. My stock answer is that I get culture disappointment when I come home. When I get home people stop looking others in the eye and smiling. They stop shaking hands and asking who I am, how I am, and how my family is doing. They stop offering me tea. We’re either too busy chasing the trivial or we just don’t care. One of my guides during the safari workshop said to me: “Westerners all have watches, but we Africans have time”. It’s true. For people who believe time is money, we sure spend it in some strange ways and on things that will not last. There’s a pace in Kenya that I love, that I’m already beginning to miss, knowing I’m back to schedules and itineraries so soon.

Anyways, lots to do. I’ll be a little more present on the blog and on Twitter now, but it won’t be until I pack up the house (Feb 26), hit the road (Feb 28), meet my next book deadline (March 01) and settle into a routine on the road with Jessie that I really post again with regularity. I am more excited about this coming trip than I’ve been about anything in a while and I hope you’ll follow along. I’ll announce my first stop soon and hope it’ll work out for us to connect someplace like Seattle. But don’t mark it on the calendar just yet. When I left Vancouver, Jessie was still in the garage awating a new transmission, and while I hope this is the last of the big issues, I’m not holding my breath, so neither should you.