PixelatedImage Blog

The sun setting over Piazza San Marco, Venice. 2012

I dragged my bags across the cobbles of Venice just after 4am yesterday morning, the wheels bumping and echoing, exaggerating the surreal emptiness of the place. Just Venice and I, which is how goodbyes should be. Around the corner a taxi waited for me, a long, sleek wooden boat, the low rumble of the engine the only competition for my clacking wheels. The driver took my bags, pulled my aluminum suitcase in after me, and we headed slowly though the winding canals that bisect the city and take us toward the open waters on the north side of the island, past the cemetery, and towards the Marco Polo airport. The morning still lit only by a half moon and the headlight of the boat shimmering off the waves. Cool night breeze, scented once in a while by unseen flowering trees. Pure magic. If you have to take a cab to the airport, you can do worse than this.

I’m home now, met at the curb at YVR by my best friend and Emily, my Jeep. We made dinner (which is to say he cooked pasta and shrimp and I slumped in a chair and tried my best to look conscious,) and Corwin’s wife came by and helped us through a couple bottles of wine, and I crashed early. A long perfect day. Sometimes the best part of travel is the coming home. I’ve now got almost 2 months before I travel again. 2 months to spend with my girl, to get my work done, do some physical therapy, get my gallbladder pulled, start a portrait project, print some photographs, and write a book.

Thanks to those who traveled with Jeffrey and I on the latest Within The Frame Adventures. Lots of great memories. Thank you. The time we spent together talking, learning about the photographic language, always teaches me so much. We’ve got a couple announcements coming soon about a few more 2012 destinations, one in Europe, a couple in Asia. We’ll keep you posted. If you’re wanting to travel with us, act quick once the announcement goes up.

Good to be home. Oggi e una bella giornata…

Venice, Italy, 2012

Good morning from Venice. We’re now two days into this year’s Venice Within The Frame and it is so good to be back here. Venice is a mixed bag. People either love it or hate it. I both love it and hate it. I love the light, the architecture, the possibilities. I love the food, the wine, and the restaurants we’ve come to call our own. But by day Venice, packed with tourists (of which I am one, I know,)  holds little photographic pull for me. I wander streets and make notes, stop in at cafes and bars for espresso, prosecco, or a glass of Valpolicella depending on the time of day, waiting for evening to come and usher the tourist hordes and kiosks selling masks and keychains off the cobbled streets. Venice in the evenings is magic, full of gorgeous light and dramatic skies, and lovers coming from their daytime hiding places. In the back streets the kids play soccer, until one by one mom calls them in for dinners. We eat late, the wine and laughter and shared stories taking us almost to midnight before heading back to the hotel.

Today we’ll wander, go take in the Elliot Erwitt exhibit, and wait for evening to fall, punctuating the day with pasta and seafood and a little window shopping.  Somewhere in there we’ll gather for a couple hours to talk about the visual language and the ways we have to fit the magic of this place into our photographs. And then we go out for more, to get lost in the alleys and the light.

Monterosso al Mare, Italy, 2012

Hello from the Italian Riviera and the lovely seaside town of Monterosso al Mare. This town is special to me; I fell in love here last year, not with the town so much as a beautiful woman. We’ve spent the last year traveling much of the world together, sharing some beautiful adventures, but we started our story here. I guess it’s why I like this town so much more than Pisa. If you’re going to fall, it may as well be in love. So it’s a romantic place, but it’s also really beautiful, especially when the light gets interesting. We’ve had a couple days of really amazing skies on these first days of the Liguria Within The Frame Adventure, though yesterday we paid for it in spades after getting stuck in the pouring rain for 40 minutes waiting for a delayed train.

I’m posting this just after sending our students off to make photographs, fresh out of a 90-minute image discussion. I don’t think I will ever tire of seeing students get ignited by photographs, and hearing them talk more excitedly about the thing which we create than about the tools we use to create them. Thrills me every time. And to see their work and the places we’re exploring, through eyes other than my own is a gift. Even if those eyes are a little blurrier this morning. I think we started dinner around 9pm, and got back to the hotel just after midnight, full of wine, seafood risotto, grilled calamari, and other wonders.

Tonight we go back to Manarollo, one of the 5 cinque terre, and tomorrow we take a train north for three days in Camogli, one of my favourite little places in the world.

I’m just wrapping up an amazing week in Sweden. Spent part of it pubbing and exploring Stockholm, which is an incredible city, and so easy to travel. It’s got great public transport, and it’s small, and extremely friendly. English is so widely spoken I never once had that familiar dread of knowing I needed to mime my way through ordering lunch. I spent the last few days of my time here in a rented Volvo heading up the coast and exploring little fishing villages and forests, and the weather complied with banks of gorgeous fog and mist. Not unlike Iceland, I froze my little fingertips off most days here, but that’s my own fault – I packed for the next two weeks in the Italian Riviera and Venice, not Scandinavia. I’ll be back and next time I’ll head as far north as I can get, likely heading into Norway as well. Next time I’m bringing mittens.

A couple days ago Craft & Vision released an eBook about sharing our images. I’m more passionate than ever about sharing – getting our photographs out into the world, through various media. I can’t print these until I’m home, but I can still give you a peek at them. If you haven’t checked out Stuart Sipahigil’s latest: Shoot + Share, Getting Your Photographs out into the World, it’s well worth a look, and it’s still only $4 if you use the coupon code in this link. It’s full of great ideas and starting points about sharing, and should light a fire under you to give your work a life beyond your harddrives. In the meantime, enjoy the postcards. It’s more than I usually share, but I’m feeling share-y. And it’s been a while since I posted one of these. The one above is a favourite. I couldn’t believe the intensity of the colours from the oxidizing rocks, and ended up shooting this piece of coastline for a couple cold hours filled with wonder. (Click any of them to see them larger)

Me. And my tripod. Iceland 2010. Photo by Dave Delnea.

In the last few years I’ve done a complete 180 on how I think about tripods. I used to lug one around because I should, but never used it. I used to call my tripod unsavory names. Frankly, we were not on the best of terms. But I’ve owned a tripod or two (Gitzo over the past 6 years, and Manfrotto before that) since I was 14.

One of the most popular posts on this blog is called “The Best Travel Tripod?” and that tells you a lot about how my thinking has changed. There is no such thing as the best travel tripod. There is only the best tripod for your needs, and that you are putting it into a suitcase is not the most important consideration. If it was, you’d get a GorillaPod and be done with it.

What the most important considerations are is for you to decide, but I’m going to guess it’s a compromise between tripod-specific needs (how heavy is the camera and lens, how tall do you want it to be, how long do you need your camera to be perfectly still?), budget, and the size of luggage and or strength of the back lugging it. A landscape photographer going to Iceland with so-called pro gear, and a tourist traveling to Paris for a weekend, will choose differently, and that’s before the issue of price raises it’s ugly head.

Here are my current top picks, plus two more – one for car travel and one for budget. All of these, but one, are Gitzo, but you’ll find similar features in the Manfrotto line and other brands as well. Quality will differ, but so will price.

From L to R, Gitzo Ocean Traveler, Basalt GT2830, GT3542LS, GT3531LSV

Gitzo Ocean Traveler - 4 sections. 3.08lbs. Holds 8.8lbs. Folds to 17.1″. Max Height of 4.9ft w/out centre column.

I love this tripod. It’s small, fairly light, and water resistant. It’s also insanely expensive, and I’d recommend one of the Gitzo Travelers that is not decked out in Stainless Steel, if you want to save a few (a lot) of money and won’t be routinely dunking it in water. I like these sticks because they fold small enough for a light trip and fit into a smaller duffle. The compromise is that it’s feeble at full height, and a long lens will exaggerate the camera shake noticeably. So I usually keep it as short as I can stand to, to keep it more rigid.

The Gitzo Ocean Traveler is $995. The comparable Gitzo GK2580TQR is $774. Both come with a ballhead, but  I’d get a better one, like the small ballhead from Really Right Stuff. This is your teeny tripod option, and there are definitely sturdier sticks out there, but I’ve traveled the world, literally, all seven continents, with this tripod.

Gitzo Basalt GT2830 – 3 sections. 3.4lbs. Holds 22lbs. Folds to 24.61″. Max Height of 4.4ft w/out centre column.

This is a noticeably larger set of sticks, made from volcanic basalt instead of carbon fibre, though I’m not sure there’s much more than marketing behind that distinction. It doesn’t come to full height for me, but it’s close and it’s much more stable. $599

Gitzo GT3542LS – 4 sections. 4.3lbs. Holds: Not specified. But it’s a lot. Folds to 1.9ft. Max Height of 4.8ft w/out a centre column.

I love this one, and if there’s any way I can take it, I will. I’ve got snow baskets for the feet, too. And it’s killer sturdy for the size. The thing about the smaller ones is that if you need a 30 second exposure and there’s any wind, you’ve got next to no chance of making a sharp image. That’s why I don’t think of these as “travel” tripods. Because it’s not the traveling that I need it for. It’s the making sharp photographs. And if the tripod doesn’t do that, what good is it? This one retails for $950 at B&H and you’re going to want a $400 head (I like the Acratech or the RRS Large Ballhead) for it.

TWO MORE

Gitzo GT3531LSV - 3 sections. 4lbs. Holds 39.7lbs. Folds to 26.4″. Max Height 4.9ft

It’s big and beefy and with the centre column comes easily to eye height and is still quite solid. I keep this one in the Jeep most of the time.  Price at B&H Photo – $830, but right now you can get it for $699 (price without a centre column or head). If I could take one tripod with me, it would be this one. But it’s pretty big and hard to pack/carry, so it’s my overland tripod.

Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 - 3 sections. 2.8lbs. Holds 11lbs. Folds to 22.8″. Max Height 4 ft.

This one gets my vote for best starter tripod. Did you see the weight? Without the head it’s 2.8lbs. This is the CF version of the aluminum 190 I carried around for years. It’s no frills, but it’s sturdy enough for daily use, if not for the heaviest pro gear and longest exposures. And it’s only USD $277, which leaves you money for a good ballhead and that plane ticket to Iceland.

When it comes to buying your next tripod, my only advice is don’t skimp to save a few bucks. Get exactly what you need. What gear will you be using? If it’s too big will you just never use it? If it’s too small will even be useful? Look, I know these are pricey, but don’t spend $200 on junk that won’t serve you. And don’t skimp on the ballhead. Great sticks with a lousy ballhead that won’t stay sturdy or locked in wasted money, too. A couple more things – centre colums add vibrations, so don’t count on them for added height. The more sections you have, the tighter it packs but the less rigidity it will have. If your budget is lower and you need more tripod, then your compromise has to be in weight – go for aluminum instead of carbon and you’ll save a lot of shekels. Don’t go with a no-name tripod, and don’t get one with spreaders between the legs or a pan-head – those are for video and they’ll likely frustrate you.

Right now, if a beginner was asking for a great all-purpose tripod for a decent price, I’d tell them to get the carbon fibre Manfrotto 190, a solid medium ballhead, and go use it to death, then start looking at the larger Gitzos when the need for something sturdier becomes apparent.

Photograph by Martin Bailey.

Next February I’m doing a workshop in Hokkaido, Japan. And by “doing a workshop,” I don’t mean I am teaching or leading one. I’m taking one. Photography is a journey and there is no discipline or teacher from whom we can not learn something. Last year I went to Antarctica with JP Caponigro and Seth Resnick (and 70 other amazing folks), to shoot, to experience the frozen continent, and to fill my bucket. In February 2013, I’m filling my bucket under the tutelage of Martin Bailey. I’ve long wanted to go to Japan, (though Tokyo scares the crap out of me), and ever since seeing work by Michael Kenna from Hokkaido, I’ve wanted to see it myself. And Martin himself is a great photographer and perfect gentleman.

Anyways, I’m telling you this in case you’re looking for something different than my usual offerings with Within The Frame Photographic Adventures, which are amazing adventures, but much less structured than this, and we don’t do monkeys. Like I said, I won’t be teaching, but I’ll be there as a student and special guest (whatever that means) and we’ll do some evenings of discussion centered around my teaching, too. Mostly I wanted to promote what I think is one of the more exciting education and travel experiences being offered right now, with a man who knows his stuff (referring to Martin, not to myself.)

I’d love to travel with you and shoot alongside you in Hokkaido, so here’s the heads-up on where I’m going and when, follow THIS LINK to Martin’s workshop website.

English Bay, 2012.

Back in Vancouver now, and living at the Sylvia Hotel on English Bay while waiting to move into a great little live/work loft in Yaletown on March 15th. After long detours home on snow-choked BC roads, Vancouver welcomed me back with open arms on March 5th – cherry blossoms beginning to bloom, sunshine (short-lived, but welcoming), and enthusiastic welcomes from staff at old haunts and coffee shops. After a few days of frantic running around, the Jeep is licensed for B.C, and so am I. I have lease papers and utilities and within a month will have – I hope – all the legit paperwork to show to the folks at the border. Until then I’m cooling my heals and arranging endless furniture delivery. My exodus last year was planned to give me a clean slate on my eventual return, so I’ve not even got so much as a bed until the Swedish Mafia (IKEA) drops it off on moving day.

Anyways, it’s been slow around these here parts but as soon as I move in, I’ll give you a tour of the new Pixelated Image Galactic HQ, and then I’m off to Vancouver Island for a week or so to explore and photograph and hang out and scheme with Corwin, my manager and best friend.

In the mean time, we are launching my next eBook, Forget Mugshot, 10 Steps to Better Portraits, on March 13th. I know I tell you I am excited about every book we release, and that’s mostly because I’m easily excitable and tend to only do things I am excited about, but this time I’m extra excited. I think it’s a really solid book. It’s 35 pages of “if I could tell you only 10 things to make your people photography stronger, what would those ten things be?” There are Portrait Profiles and Creative Exercises in there too. Remember when I said we were moving from pounding out our vision and beginning to talk about how we express that vision/intent? This is part of that logical, and needed, shift. Tune in on the 13th for the usual discounts. Or better yet, join the Craft & Vision Community and get 12 books a year, full-time discounts, and access to the blog and the monthly podcasts. This coming month Matt Brandon and I will be discussing portraits and people photography and elaborating on ideas found in the book.

Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park, 2012

Two desktop wallpapers for you this month. My indecision is your gain. Click either image above to get the full-resolution file – both of them are 2560 x 1600. Seriously, this might just be my new favourite place. Amazing accomodations, real fireplaces, great food, and really reasonable rates with breakfast included. This morning I had poached eggs on elk and bison hash. Killer.

There may, or may not, be a hot tub here at Emerald Lake Lodge. A huge 16-person hot-tub. Also, there may or may not be a fermented beverage in the flask (thank you, Dave Delnea). Flask by Filson. Photograph, and mad iPhone skills, by Cynthia Brooke Haynes. Hat by Patagonia.

Arrived last night to one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. Now I know I’m prone to hyperbole. Hell, I might exaggerate more than anyone on the planet, but this time it’s the honest truth. Emerald Lake Lodge in Yoho National Park. If you know where Banff or Lake Louise are, just head a little west, cross into British Columbia, and you’re almost there. Most of these images are not from here. I’ll do some today and this evening. But right now I’m drinking coffee in front of a large fireplace thinking about the 9500 kilometers I’ve just driven and how close I am to home. Just crossing the border into BC made me smile and last night I had a celebratory glass of bourbon in front of the fireplace, and fell asleep to the deafening quiet of a mountain lake under 5 feet of snow.

In a couple days I head home to Vancouver. Corwin, my manager and best friend, has found me a live/work loft apartment in a building I’ve known and loved for years. My friend Kevin Clark has a studio there. Close friends have lived there, too. (Daniel, remember that lady above you? The one in the steel-on-concrete stiletto heels? She’s moved out and I’m moving in.) And with any luck and the appropriate prayers to the patron saint of border crossings, I’ll soon have what I need to get back into the nation to the south of me, with whom I am not on speaking terms just now. In the mean time I think I’ll head to Tofino and see Pacific Rim National Park.

Anyways, just a note to say hello. I’ll do my best to get a desktop wallpaper to you today or tomorrow. Probably tomorrow. I’ve not forgotten, just hoping to get you something fresh and right now I hear breakfast and my snowshoes calling me. Speaking of getting things to you, I’ve just finished the edits and layouts for my next ebook – Forget Mugshots, 10 Steps to Better Portraits. I love publishing books from my friends, but there’s something different when the book is my own. Can’t wait to release it. It should be ready for you on March 13th.