He’s been shooting beaches and beach life for decades, and to celebrate his latest collection, Life’s A Beach, Martin Parr set up a photo studio for a shoot day at Aperture Gallery in NYC.

Here was the deal: You could sign up to have Martin Parr photograph you, your loved ones, or even your pets, on a tropical print backdrop.

From 9:00AM to 6:00PM he brought people into his makeshift studio.
They were encouraged to wear beachy clothes and bring appropriate props.

They did both.

While this was all going on, they were serving tropical rum drinks, complete with umbrellas, and tea, for those who were driving.

His current exhibit was on the walls, so even if you didn’t get a portrait shot, you still were at the party, with an excellent DJ.

To be fair, the shoot did have a price, $400, for the session, complete with an 8×12 digital print. Larger sizes were available at additional cost.
OR you could pick up a lovely limited edition Beach towel, or one of his many books.

The current tome has a small edition, for $25., and a special version where every image is tipped in, and most images captioned as you would any home travel album.$300. and worth every penny.

So here is how it went: you signed in, changed clothes, got your name page, met the man, he did a session, you went to one of 3 edit stations in the middle of the venue, and then you would be shipped your signed print.

If he was between sessions, he even helped in the edit. Bonus!

How cool is that?

We want to give huge props to Aperture for truly moving the ball forward in the world of photo appreciation, especially with an event like this.

In my college days, Aperture was always the quality photo magazine we looked to for the finest curation of the photo world. It wasn’t gear porn, but the power and quality of the still image.

This series of events, are unique, fun, engaging, and I think bring in a new and varied audience.

In the past year, they have re-introduced Daido Moriyama to a new audience, when he recreated a “happening” from the 70′s making custom books on site.
A few weeks ago they hosted another on-site photo book creation, complete with a hip party atmosphere.

With this event, they set a new bar. Along with the respect for the still image, the participant is invited to not only peek behind the curtains, but get in front of them .

To have one of the masters of photography spend a day shooting all takers (for a fee), watch the shoots, him signing who knows how many pieces of his work, hang with your friends, and cocktails?

That’s a pretty damn good Saturday. And people came from out of town for his special event, so the next time, get on the stick and join in.

We can’t wait to see what they have next.

more photos from the event

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: aperture, Canon, Chelsea, Digital imaging, Fine Art, gallerie, Galleries, Martin Parr, photo

You know them, and have most likely purchased gear from them : Adorama has been around for years.
They have now seen a space in the market that they are looking to fill.
Actually a few, but we’re gonna concentrate right now on the lighting market.
Let’s look first at the Flashpoint DG600 monolight strobe.

If you are used to using pro strobes, this set-up is a perfect, inexpensive, solution for travel, or back-up.
If you’re just starting in this arena, the $200. price point will give you a whole new lighting experience.

The mono light design gives you the advantage of portabitiy as well, since you can add a battery pack, for about 150-200 flashes per charge.
Imagine being on location, ANYWHERE, and being able to light up the talent, or perhaps wedding party, without looking for an outlet.
And with 300ws per light, you’re able to cover the whole crew.
There are no strange or proprietary modes to learn.
Basically you can adjust light output for 1/32 to full power ( about 5 stops in increments). The know feels strong and soft clicks through the increments.
C’mon, fit and finish has to be part of this. Metal parts have a powdered
You get a built in optical slave, so wire won’t be a problem. And a wired input if you are going to use your Pocket Wizards. The rear of the unit has all of the easy to use/understand controls.
For placement, the built-in handle is a nice feature. The bottom of the unit has a 5/8″ light stand socket, with good, not best, tightening knobs. It did always lock in place for us, but high end strobes in the same category, have a more deluxe feel.
There is a reflector bowl, with a polycarbonite cover for the strobe tube and LED modeling light, gives you a good starter set up.
Add in the umbrellas, light stands, and soft boxes and you have a very sweet portable lighting system, you should get years of use from.
The price is right as well.And with a company like Adorama backing it up right here in the states, you’ve got a good
check this rig for about $550.
By delivering 300 WS, you’re well ahead of any speedlight game to start with.
The modeling lights are LED’s so keep pretty cool.

On the hot side of the lighting world, it actually isn’t that anymore.
Hots lots are around, but the tend has been to LED’s.
The first one to market was Litepanels. Keeping up wth the market, we bought in. The price point was large but it was the best game in town.
Good broad soft light; battery powered, and expensive.
Although touted to be color correct, we still had some minor correction with 1/4 CTO gels. The company knew and sold a precision fit set.
So the market has now opened up from the early days of LED lighting.

Adorama has entered it with a couple of units, with the 500C LED unit being the light we reviewed.

Overall the fit and finish was better than expected for the price.
It has two sets of LEDS bulbs, one set for Daylight balance and one set for Tungsten.

There is a rheostat control for each set, depending on the intensity of light needed.
You will be tempted to just flood the deal with both sets cranked to top intensity but be careful about the color temp.
One inexpensive APP we found to check on color temp is from a company called Alfa Kilo Beheer. The specs called for a temp range of 5300º to 5900º. A bit wide for my taste.
A coupla bucks and it allows you to do a simple color check with a blend of the LED’s. Green was the color for the other lights and you may want to do some checking as you get ready to shoot. As always do your white balance before shooting. We love the Xrite Color Checker. Always in the bag.
There is no slot we could find to add in filters, but we go classic with a good springy wooden clothes pin (about $2.50 for a bag)

There is no frosted cover over the bulbs, so you get full blast, but be careful not to touch bulbs. Skin oils still not a good thing on glass.

Built in reflective barn doors to help direct your light.

The connector for your light stand has a unique slot system for a side or bottom mount. This way you can adjust exactly the light position. Centered always worked for me but to each their own.

And then the price: Litepanels run about $1600. for a 1×1 daylight or tungsten.
The Flashpoint although it’s bit smaller, sells for $200.

For the shooter who realizes that video can use good continuous light, or the photographer who needs a powerful burst of controllable flash on location, this new line up from Adorama deserves your consideration.
Heck, we just added the LED light to our traveling interview kit.
And yes, we do own a Litepanels set up, but at these prices, we can’t resist.

You’ve bought from them before, so you know you can trust them to stand behind the product.

I don’t usually take a press release verbatim.
I don’t usually tout an exhibit before I’ve seen it.

When there is a show like this at the Howard Greenberg Gallery, I do both.

Mr. Greenberg’s sensitivities are right in line with many of my own in the world of photography. With most of his exhibits I covet at least one print. Sometimes just a related book has to suffice.

Carl Mydans, On the 6:25 from Grand Central to Stamford, November 22, 1963.
Gelatin silver print; printed later, 12 x 17 1/2 inches. ©Time Inc.

New York — 1963 was a year when everything changed. It was a roller-coaster time in American political and social history, when our nation experienced civil rights protests, the start of Beatlemania, and growing involvement in Vietnam. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C., brought enormous hope. And then, in the final months of the year, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy plunged the country into darkness, abruptly halting an age of innocence.

Bringing together more than 40 photographs depicting events from this watershed year, Howard Greenberg Gallery will present 1963 from May 9 through July 6, 2013. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, May 9, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Organized into three sections, 1963 will survey the history and culture of the times and will focus on three major events: the treatment of civil rights protesters in Birmingham, Alabama, in May; Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C., in August; and the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas in November. In addition, a selection of photographs will examine the culture of 1963 though music, fashion, science, and sports.

Bob Adelman captured firemen hosing demonstrators in Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham in what would become one of the signature images of the civil rights movement in America. He also photographed Martin Luther King, Jr., ending his triumphant speech in Washington with the words “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

The fateful events of November 22, 1963, unfold in the exhibition: In a gelatin silver print by Arthur Rickerby, a photographer runs on the sidewalk in Dallas very shortly after the assassination of President Kennedy. A view from the Texas School Book Depository building in Dallas on that historic day was documented by Flip Schulke. A photograph of the outside of the Parkland Hospital in Dallas after the President arrived was taken by Cecil W. Stoughton. Carl Mydans’ gelatin silver print of commuters on the 6:25 p.m. train from Grand Central Terminal to Stamford shows men behind newspapers such as the New York World Telegram with the bold headlines of the President’s killing.

The pop culture of 1963 also plays a role in the exhibition: Paul McCartney of the Beatles is having his hair cut in Liverpool in Dezo Hoffmann’s gelatin silver print. A portrait of Roy Lichtenstein by John Loengard shows the artist with one of his iconic cartoon paintings. James Karales shows helicopters landing in a rice paddy in Vietnam, and a young Bob Dylan plays his guitar and harmonica in a print by an unknown photographer.

About Howard Greenberg Gallery
Howard Greenberg Gallery is located at 41 East 57th Street, Suite 1406, New York. The gallery exhibits at The Armory Show, The AIPAD Photography Show New York, Paris Photo Los Angeles, Art Basel, Paris Photo, and Art Basel Miami Beach. For more information, contact 212-334-0010 or info@howardgreenberg.com or visit www.howardgreenberg.com.

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Tags: 1963, B&W, Fine Art, Galleries, Howard Greenberg Gallery, photography

In a recent post we let you know what we feel is the standard for monitoring your audio, when shooting video: Sony MDR7506 Pro
over the ear monitors. Under $100.

But we all tend to go for double duty headsets for the video recording. And small.Just so much room in the bag.
We want great sound for the music when not recording, and multi use at the end of the day.
I’m going to tell you about a few options out there, each having it’s own strengths, and possible features that you need.
Let’s look first at a headset that was developed for the Army.
Yep, they spent some research dough here.
Called AfterShokz Sportz
, this unique headset, available wired or blue tooth doesn’t sit over your ear.
It doesn’t insert into your ear.
This sits essentially on your jawbone and uses the vibration of the sound to transmit it to you ear bones.
Too technical? Called Bone Conduction Technology.
I’ll be honest, saw this last year at CES, and was very impressed, but it never quite worked right.

One year later, and this current version works great.

It’s not really a set to use on the plane, as your neighbor will be enjoying your music as well.
You will be aware of all sound around you. This can be particularly good on a run, to be aware, and on set, as long as the hot mics are far from you, the ability to aurally sift through the masses of sound walls is a positive.

Another company that continues to innovate is Yurbuds Ironman.
When first introduced, the company line was all about the custom fit of the earplugs. They had a huge range that would allow the buds to fit tight.
They continued improvement on this design to the current, with flanges or fins, that once put into your ear, will not shake out.
To that end they would demonstrate that with a Parkour master doing a standing somersault without losing a bud.
If you’re shooting some extreme sport video, this is your set.

A relative newcomer to the category, Munitio, in a short time has come up with an earbud,that fits snugly, using one of 3 sets of sized silicon nubs.
Originally they made their design name by using a gun shell casing as the ear bud. Since then they have moved on from the gimmick only, and have concentrated on the sound quality.

From my perspective, the full range of sound, separation, clean bass, and undistorted treble, was the best with this unit.

The cables were made of a material covered wire, and flat so that didn’t tend to tangle.

This unit, like most of the others currently on the market, will work with your smart phone: answer, hang-up, vol up, vol down, next track for music.

The only issue I found with the current modelMunitio was availability: Have not seen it in the major distributors.

I also recco a favorite from last year the Klipsch s4i: great sound, works with your smartphone, and comfy in the ears.
The top winner from last year, Clarity One, had great sound but after continued use, the wires became loose at the joining points. Fail.

SO here’s the wrap up: If you’re going with earbuds for space and multipurpose,
top sound quality goes to Munitio.
If hearing everything around you while doing an audio monitor, or perhaps jogging, AferShokz is for you.
Extreme gym rat or sports shooter? The YurBuds line should have something for you.

Tags: #Yurbuds, AfterShokz, audio, camera gear, earbuds, HD Video, Munitio, photo, Sony

We are image makers, and story tellers.
And the story you tell of your own life is a composite of the actions you take, the feelings you have, even how you dress, and the edit you make of all the information to present to the world.
Some people are calling it FaceBook.

There is another history that was written long before you decided on this one.
As Homo Sapiens, we have built-in DNA to pass on information learned to those who come after you.
With an oral history,a generational and familial tree, got passed on through the community.

The Nuclear family spread out the components far and wide so the interconnections of daily life became unknown and the family history was built on holiday fare, special occasions, and key markers such as birth, and death.

In the past century we recorded this with the tools we all know.Photos and Home Movies.
Sure, communication today makes sure we don’t miss a beat of life, some life, your life, everyone’s life.

But what about before all of this? What about your parents history,and their parents history?

For the past 20 years, I’ve sat with my family elders with a video camera. Questions about the past, their childhood, relatives, I barely knew, brought a sparkle to their eyes. And strangely enough, photos from their archives.

If you want to develop your interview skills, who better to practice with than family?
There is gold that awaits you on this trail.
Not saying that you’ll discover that Uncle Henry actually invented the windshield wiper (wasn’t that Greg Kinnear?), but perhaps that before becoming an actuary, he was an actor, performing in 40 movies.

All I’m saying is that there is a history that you have, that you may not fully be aware of, that can be passed on to others, and by using your photo/video skill sets, you can share this information in a creative, enjoyable way.

The stories may be long, the answers to questions may wander off on their own trail,
so let your edit prowess grow. Many times a door opened leads to corridors you had no idea existed.
Music and graphics? Sure, why not? Perhaps to separate, punctuate, open and close a sequence.

My tools for this include a Canon XF100 Pro Camcorder with 10x HD Video lens, Compact Flash (CF) Recording
with a shotgun mic AT 4073, a Nikon D800
with a 28-300mm
lens for capturing stills and also some impromptu copy work. Enough batteries and cards to handle a few hours of record time.

Trust me, your key subjects will most likely never go for that long, but there are are other family members that most likely will be present.

As a headset (yes, you do need one) the standard is the Sony MDR-V6 Monitor Series Headphones , and I love it, but earbuds will do you just fine. Since it’s primarily voice, and most earbuds are made for music, it’s your choice. Just do a test so you know what the differences are in audio quality, from your ear and what’s goes in the camera.

The goal is also natural light, or perhaps a reflector, but a full lighting package with this subject matter can put them people off, make them nervous, and probably change the demeanor of the whole shoot.

Remember to shoot B-roll!! What the heck is that? Additional footage related to the shoot that you can cut away to, or lay audio under to give a change in the visual.
While you are shooting the interview, you can have a second camera covering a different angle of the interviewee. That can help with dramatic moments, move the visual emphasis from one place to another, give the viewer relief from looking at one thing.
I always prefer to have one camera static and another hand held and loose to give some variety.

If you don’t have a second camera, set aside some time dedicated to the environs, or hands going through a photo album, or clicking through a photo site. Perhaps just off beats of the subject or other family members. Maybe there is a table with family photos. Or they love to make a cuppa tea, and you record the process. Basically, you’ll need the options in edit to shift focus/attention.

I usually capture some flat art archives with the still camera, as well as portraits. They can be sprinkled into the video, or be used as title card backgrounds.

In this shot below, my 92 year old aunt is listing off all of the folks that had done her wrong:

Tripods or monopods are a big help, as long as they are not in the way. Obviously, with short crew, a second camera will get mounted on a tripod (or strategically clamped with a Gorillapod) And the main camera can be on the monopod for stability, yet flexibility.
I generally use the “Brian”, from 3 Legged Thing as a main, with one leg able to come off and used as a monopod.
Or the Manfrotto Monopod is great as well, but a bit tougher to pack.

We have been speaking about recording a collection of remembrances, and the same goes for more current histories.
I edited a video of my daughters life to this point as a birthday gift, and it gave her and the family a reminder of why what her life was like growing up.
There were no interviews, but scans and edits.

As a parent, son/daughter, brother/sister, or relative this is a project that can be shared and enjoyed by the whole family.

Don’t forget – this is their version of history! You still have the power of edit to get closer to the truth. Or your truth.

And when you discover that your great uncle was a circus strongman, you’ll finally realize why you like to twist iron horseshoes.
It comes naturally.

Tags: 28-300 mm, 3Legged Thing, camera gear, Canon XF100, Digital imaging, documentaries, family album, family history, Nikon D800, photo, photo albums, sony Headset Monitors