Photography Thinks
So, the story goes that Heisler’s luggage lost its way on some unnamed airline on the way North Carolina via Atlanta to photograph some big ticket exec. Knowing the complications of rescheduling, he and his assistant stopped at a Home Depot and bought a flourescent fixture, two daylight tubes and a shower curtain. They did the shot with a kit that cost less than a C note. Now he teaches lighting, using the same setup, albeit one attached to a light stand by a knuckle and a grill painted black.
Just in case you be wondering, I didn’t submit this, but I should have.
My product piece. Trashed at the final, because the instructor didn’t know where it was taken or what it was. He said it looked like the beginning of a story that ends in a “dui.” I shouldda stuck with Frenchy and Chopin Vodka.
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Miro will bring Burlington good management and a future. He sees into the future and will not repeat the past. Feel good about him being in control and in charge.
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Does he want you to vote or does he want you to vote for someone?
Ron Wyatt bills himself as an editorial photographer, but it is clear his first love is sport. He has shot MLB and NFL and been to the the last two Olympics, earning shot of the day two times. He would like to go to London for the upcoming event, but, so far, all his irons are still in the fire. Doing what he does now, which is make a living shooting events and people, keeps him closer to home where he can watch his son, a high-school sports star.
After graduating high school, he took up photography to avoid the lines at a local GM plant. Mostly self taught from workshops and magazines, he started with film and is now struggling to conquer digital, like the rest of us. His Keynote presentation didn’t support his assertions that he lacked the skills to make a quality show, a display that earned him some whistles and cheers, albeit for deft, if rudimentary moves.
While calling his business a matter of luck and being in the right place, he tells a story of how hard he worked to be in a position to take advantage of opportunities. He has an easy manner, obviously gets along well with others and finishes the jobs he starts. All theses qualities are essential for the business of photography. One of his breaks got him a job leading tours to China, shoots that give him the opportunity to use his camera and share his knowledge of the art and craft.
Borrowing from a scene from My Cousin Vinnie, he urged everyone to read the manuals that come with the camera. More a suggestion to learn the equipment to be able to take advantage of its full potential, he challenged mostly unwilling students to use the focus button on the back of the camera, rather than the shutter. Amazing, how few use this technique, which he says is the preferred way to click of photojournalists worldwide.
He said he had nothing against Canon and stated that his favorite lens is a Nikon 200-400. Though the lecture wasn’t sponsored by Sigma and a Sigma logo appears on his project Ron Wyatt site, he tried to be impartial as he urged everyone to try cheaper lenses. He did the math, showing that for the price of a telephoto Canon lens, you could buy a Sigma lens and an additional body. The quality of his shots with the lower priced lens seemed pretty good on the screen.
And he raffled off Peachpit and Wiley books on lighting, along with Black Rapid straps. I had to stand up to model my strap, an act that led several students to ask me about its usefulness. I seemed to be the only person in the entire school who used this piece of equipment which is pretty unbelievable considering it has been around for a while and the strap is revolutionary.
For a town of 15,000, Greenfield has an artsy scene that rivals places with more ethnic and economic diversity. Despite the absence of chi chi colleges offering arenas, crowds or financing, Catherine Ohlman drew a crowd to a little tea/coffee house on Main Street. We listened to her throaty sounds, heard the political message and danced in the aisles. Most of the crowd looked aged and very happy, nonetheless. Just a great Friday Night date night.
I was trying a case in the Southern District. Judge Miner, whom I knew from New York Law School, the local law school on Worth and Church from which we both were graduated, somehow found himself in the public elevator with me, one of his clerks, and a very out of control pro se litigant. The guy didn’t know Judge Miner’s lofty position in the building. He was ranting about one injustice after another, focusing his anger on the system and judges in particular. Judge Miner turned to me and said, “Mr. Duckman, you represent them and then I listen to them.” A very human judge.
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Talked about the science, math and practice of video digital capture on DSLR. Added in videos from SNL, which you cannot be sure many in the audience watch, or if they do, it cannot be back to the time of Chevy Chase, along with a rap about the state of the equipment and technology. Seriously competent, and he sent us to Hurlbut and Laforet, giants in the field. Not arrogant or flashy, USC film school, at the top of his game and promoting his craft.
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Out of my comfort zone, here at HIP. Not comfortable with the lines, light and narrative. Paul changed the direction of photography, not a destination to which I aspire, by seeing tonality in the shapes of the modern world. Got to see it, before I can mess with it.
