around the net, volume 2

Today’s look around the net has a little something old and a little something new.

First, the new:

You know what’s cool? Seeing David Hobby (Strobist.com founder) in the pages of USA Today (both articles and videos) this past Tuesday. I pretty much assume everyone knows what Strobist is…if you don’t, just go to the website and you’ll figure it out quickly. What a phenomenon he’s created in two short years of online publishing. Along with Flickr (more on Flickr later in the post), his website has dramatically elevated the level of amateur photography around the globe, so it’s nice to see the rest of the world take note. It’s also cool that David (in the videos posted online) appears as personable in real life as he is on the written page: genuinely good people.

Another website worth a look: if you want a daily quick hit of photo news try the cleverly named adidap.com (All Day I Dream About Photography). The entries are generally brief and informative, pointing to cool photo info and links around the web. I especially like the Saturday Links Fever posts.

Both old and new

Your family photo albums probably have at least a few Polaroids in them. The art photographers among us may still be shooting Polaroid (there’s some in my ‘fridge). By now it’s old news that Polaroid is stopping production of all their instant films. The new news is that there may be a thread of hope they’ll continue production. This group of dedicated photographers is fighting the good fight to keep Edwin Land’s invention alive.

One of the most popular posts on prophotolife has been Five Things I Really Miss About Film Photography (more looks at old school photography will be upcoming). If you liked that one, Brian Auer has written a great “time travel” piece called The SLR Camera: Then and Now on the Epic Edits Weblog. He calls himself a photography enthusiast and hobbyist photographer, but his photographs and writing on photography are totally professional, in my opinion.

Another old and new for me is Flickr and I’d like to talk for a moment about perceptions.

I’ve made my living in photography for over 20 years and have seen a lot of change. None more so than in the last couple years. When digital capture came along it shook out some of the old school professionals, they just didn’t want to figure out the switch from film to digital and opted for early retirement. Then things changed again with the easy delivery of digital images and new business models like microstock photography.

Then Flickr came along and created a whole new photo revolution. In the beginning (remember, I make a living taking photographs) it was that little site where people posted photos of their pets. Then the work elevated dramatically. At this point the real innovations in visuals and photography are happening among the 3-5 million photos being posted daily to this online / sharing photo site. Yes, this has threatened professional photographers in a few ways, especially when it comes to protecting the value of photography. But I see more and more professionals posting their work to Flickr as time goes by because it is a place to be seen.

One of my goals with prophotolife is to try and help bridge some gaps. That includes helping amateurs understand that their photographs and their talents do have value. If someone wants to use your photo in an advertisement they are using it for their benefit and you are entitled to benefit, also. It’s only fair (just please check “no” to allowing commercial uses, it’s that easy). That’s how we run our photo studio, by being fair to both our clients and our business.

The other part of bridging the gap includes letting other professional photographers know that Flickr is here to stay and that it’s shaping our visual history. Appreciate it for what it is, realize that time is marching on and if you’re losing work to a place like Flickr then it’s time to explore different business models. Or better yet, why don’t we look for opportunities to learn from enthusiastic amateurs while helping spread the word about the value of photography?

So I’ve realized it’s about time I really started exploring Flickr for myself. You’re speaking to the newest member of the world’s largest photo sharing website and and I’ve posted some of my fun photography there. If you’re a member I hope you’ll swing by my profile and point me to your work (add me as a contact?) because I’d really like to see what prophotolife readers are working on. Like I always tell new photo assistants, we’re all the same, we’re all sharing the same journey, it’s just that some of us are further along the path than others. And we can all always learn something from one another.

Now for the old, sharing one of the cameras from my musty but fully operational camera collection. I have an odd assortment and this is a definite favorite. This is my Russian-made Iskra 120 roll film camera, complete with accurate(ish) rangefinder focusing and single coated 7.5cm f3.5 lens. The bellows are light tight and the film advance and frame counter work great(ish), a known problem with this model. This story is my personal reminder of why I love film cameras:

Because I wasn’t shooting with the Iskra much, I once decided to sell it on eBay. My sales description detailed how the shutter worked great (purrrr-click) but the linkage from the top shutter button to the lever on the lens wasn’t great. Once you looked closely at the camera and understood how the linkage worked then you were golden. It took a developed ‘touch’ to make the shutter work. If you just hammered down on the button, though, it may or may not work correctly. No big deal to me, I’m used to old cameras.

I sold the camera to a very nice fellow who had read the description and decided to buy the Iskra. Once he had it, though, he felt the shutter linkage didn’t work well enough for his tastes. That’s fine, I said, but as I pointed out in the description, this is 50 year old Russian technology. That’s how it probably worked from the factory on the day it was made, much less half a century later. So I took the camera back and vowed to never let it go again.

There are two morals to the story. One is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The funky shutter linkage is part of what makes this camera (and all old cameras) special to me. In the old, mechanical days, much of photography was done by ‘feel’. This camera has tons of ‘feel’.

The second moral is that if you love the bird, set it free. And if the bird loves you, it will return.

That’s it for this week, I’ll see you on Monday with what promises to be a really fun new lighting video…

Thanks for reading! - Jim T

p.s. hey, film shooters, if it’s time to stock the freezer with your favorite film (including discontinued Polaroid) you only have five more days to Save $15 on orders of $100 or more at Calumet Photographic - no code necessary. Offer expires 4.30.2008 Plus Free Shipping over $75!