Images: Jack Dykinga’s Grand Canyon is another photography book in a series from . Unlike the () which is instructional, this book is a work of art.
This 11-inch square book begins and ends with essays by non-fiction writer Charles Bowden and geologist and author Wayne Ranney, respectively.
Bowden’s opening essay describes the canyon with an almost holy reverence. It’s a beautiful tribute to a place the author describes as timeless. A place not for worship but for exploration and meditation that nourish the soul.
The closing essay by Ranney gives us a geologist’s view of the Canyon. It’s less poetic than Bowden’s but no less interesting (at least to me) as he shares insights into the formation of the canyon that made me marvel at the time and energy, virtually beyond human comprehension, required to form it.
And in between these short essays the book is filled with beautiful color photographs of the canyon by Jack Dykinga. From snow-covered plateaus, storms, and sunrise vistas, to gorgeous sunsets casting bright orange and red hues onto ancient canyon walls, Dykinga shows that he is an accomplished artist who has spent years absorbing the essence of the canyon. The matte-like finish and thick pages present the photos well—my only quibble is that I wish the book was larger. The two-page spreads are 22×11″ but many of the photos demand to be seen much larger. But, as suggested by the authors, perhaps it’s not possible to truly capture the Grand Canyon in any form as humble as a book, regardless of size.
Have you read this book? Share your opinion in the comments below.
I have two copies to give away (one used for the review) courtesy of Arizona Highways. Please leave a comment if you’d like one. I’ll choose two commenters at random this weekend to receive them. Leave a valid email address so that I can contact you.
My nephew is getting married this weekend and despite my protests I was roped into doing some of the photography. I had originally intended to actually put my feet up and enjoy the ceremony and ensuing festivities… you know… like an actual guest. It’s too late for me but know this ye ignorant unwed: wives wield a fearful persuasive power that cannot be explained, only experienced.
Anyway, I took the opportunity to rent some lenses from my favorite online rental shop: . I’ve rented from ZipLens in the past () and the experience this time was just as good as it’s always been.
I decided to get a 17-55 f/2.8 and an 85mm f/1.4 for the weekend so about a month ago I put in my order with a specific reservation for this week (you can make a reservation request in the notes when you place an order). ZipLens responded that day telling me that the lenses were reserved. And lo and behold they arrived today as promised. Rental of both lenses for the week including shipping was $160 total ($105 for the glass, $55 for insured express shipping both ways). The lenses are in perfect, like-new condition and were packaged with care (click the image above for a larger view).
I can already tell I’m going to have a hard time sending back the 85mm though. I think I’m in love.
One of my day jobs involves working with special needs children and children in hospital. I do a lot of work with children on the autistic spectrum and children with learning difficulties, as well as with at-risk youth and kids with chronic illnesses. One of my absolute favourite things to do is introduce these children to photography. Not only do I enjoy sharing my passion but for a lot of the children I work with it is a unique way for them to express some creativity.
by fd
Introducing your children to photography, whether they have extra needs or not, is a great way to encourage creativity and decision-making and can give you a new activity to share with your whole family. But how do you go about introducing children to the camera? Here are a few ideas to get you started (these tips are aimed for children from about 3 to 8 years old):
1. Don’t rush out and buy a new camera for your child’s first attempt. You’ve probably got an old camera somewhere, it doesn’t matter if it’s a film camera or an early digital camera with 2 MP, as long as it works it’ll do. If your child shows interest for more than a week or so then the chances are a new camera just for him will be used and appreciated (check out for ideas on which camera to buy). If the old camera is lying underneath that never-opened board game and once-used pair of roller blades from last Christmas, then it’s probably best to wait a few months and try again. Even if you just use an old camera and end up abandoning the project don’t forget to teach your child how to care for the camera (keep it switched off in it’s case when not in use, don’t touch the lens, use the wrist/neck strap) but don’t freak him out by telling him it’s really expensive and he better be careful. A better idea is not to equip him with a camera you’ll be angry about if it does get damaged.
2. Get back to basics. You might know about f-stop numbers, aperture, and depth of field but your child probably doesn’t even know how to hold a camera correctly. Start simple. Show her how to hold the camera so a blurry finger won’t appear in every shot. Explain how to open/close the shutter (or use the lens cap if the camera has one) and use the view finder and LCD screen. If your child is under 6 this is probably enough information, any more and they’ll tune out and be bored before they start. For older kids a quick explanation of the flash and zoom features can be included.
3. For their first foray into photography just let them go ahead and shoot. This will allow them to get familiar with the camera and also to take photos of the things they think are important (often toys, pets, and their bedroom will feature prominently) rather than things you tell them would look nice in a photo. A digital camera has the advantage of allowing a child to see the photos right away and removes the cost of processing film. But many children enjoy taking the film to a photo lab and then holding real photos in their hands (it often feels more like they’ve created something if they can hold it), so don’t be afraid to try a film camera. If you go with a digital camera put a small memory card in so that they’re limited to 20 or 30 shots (equivalent to one roll of film).
4. When you have plenty of time to sit down with your child, get the photos and look through them with him. Before you say anything remember that photography (like all art) is subjective. Just because it’s not what you would have done doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Try and find something positive to say, even if he’s taken 25 photos of a matchbox car. If he has taken lots of photos of the same thing, as him if he wished he’d had more film/memory so he could photograph some other things too. If the answer is yes it’s a good time to discuss decision-making and using limited resources (don’t just hand him a larger memory card, try and encourage him to be selective about what he photographs. Then later if he’s taking 25 photos of different things or using different perspectives and still feels he needs more shots you can give him the larger card to work with). And if he says no, at least you know those matchbox cars are really important to him!
5. Get some books or find some child-friendly web sites that showcase photography. Or better yet find a local photography exhibit or gallery and take a trip to see finished, framed photos. Try and look at a variety of different styles with you child and discuss which ones you and she like and dislike. Then discuss some of the different techniques used (tailor the language and detail to your child’s age level and attention span) and point out things like the angle, focus, distance, and framing.
6. Plan a photography outing either as a family, with friends, or just you and your child. You don’t have to go far, the beach, a playground, a hiking trail, or the zoo are all good places to try (although if you choose the beach be wary of cameras and water!). Encourage your child to photograph different things, landscapes, people, animals, and from different perspectives. Set and example yourself by photographing a variety of scenes and getting down on your knees or standing on a bench to try different angles. Most importantly, have fun and don’t forget to let you child share her finished photos with other people (her friends, grandparents, etc).
7. Remember not rush this. If you really want your child to enjoy photography and be able to express himself though it then it needs to be an ongoing process. Trying to cram the whole learning experience into one day isn’t going to work. This is something you can re-visit and build on as he grows older and can learn new skills and techniques. And don’t forget all kids go through phases so if the camera sits unused for a few weeks or months don’t try to force him to use it, instead plan another photography outing for a time when you think he might be ready to try again (try going somewhere you haven’t been for a while so he has new things to photograph). Or encourage him to use his previous photos in an art project, or make an album with them, seeing his work might remind him how much fun he had and prompt him to pick up the camera again.
Being green is no longer a phrase associated with Kermit the Frog. We all know we really should do our part to keep the Earth from turning into one giant landfill. The good news is “it’s not easy being green” really isn’t the true, a little effort in all aspects of your life can make add up to one big difference. So how can you be greener in the photography side of your life? Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Green Power: If you use a camera (or accessory such as a flash) that uses AA or AAA batteries make sure you’re using rechargeable batteries, not only will it help the environment it’ll help your bank balance too. or batteries are your best bet for hundreds of recharges without and generally cost $25-$30 for 4 batteries and the recharger. Cameras with battery types other than AA/AAA usually come with a rechargeable battery but if yours didn’t look into buying one, most type are available. And once you’ve got those rechargeable batteries make sure you recycle those old non-rechargeable ones! Many local supermarkets and camera stores will now recycle your batteries for free.
Green Storage: If you’re ready to invest in a new camera bag check out Lowe Pro’s bag which is made of 51% recycled materials. To make it even better Lowe Pro say “funds raised from the sale of the Primus AW backpack will support Polar Bears International PBI, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of the polar bear.” And it’s as well designed and constructed as Lowe Pro’s other bags.
Green Recharge: Now that your using rechargeable batteries you need power to recharge them. If you really want to go green and eliminate the need to find an electrical socket you need a . A bit more of an investment, they cost between $130 and $250 depending how much power they provide.
Green Print: If you print photos on your own printer give matte photo paper a try. 100% recycled, it’s available in sizes from 4 x 6 up to 13 x 38.
Green Display: Once you’ve printed your photos you’ll want to display them. If an album is your way to do that check out the albums available at which use a combination of renewable bark cloth and recycled paper and have the added bonus of supporting the women in Uganda who make them. For something else unique have recycled circuit board albums, or have a variety of albums handmade from recycled/reclaimed materials. If you prefer to frame your photos have a selection of reclaimed wood frames. Uncommon Goods have reclaimed and for something truly one-of-a-kind s. have recycled paper frames, and for recycled mat board check out selection.
Green Awareness: Raise awareness of environmental issues through your photography by entering the competition. Closing date is 31st July 2008.
Green Giving: If you’re ready to upgrade to a new camera but your old one is still working consider donating it to a charity such as or your local children’s hospital or at-risk youth center and give a new generation a chance to try photography. Or use your local chapter of and find a deserving person to give your camera too yourself.
If you have green photography equipment experience let us know about it in the comments section.
Jared at just sent me some information about their rental business located in Boulder, Colorado. I’ve used a couple of these services personally (read reviews of and ) and we also have a .
Pro Photo Rental—offering Canon, Nikon, and Olympus gear—distinguishes itself from the competition with the following features:
They are one of the few services that takes reservations and the only one that I know of that has an online reservation system.
You can rent gear for exactly as long as you need it with a 4-day minimum. Everyone else seems to rent in 1-week increments.
Offer a selection of Olympus lenses and gear (including an E-3 body).
They offer a good variety of lenses but also rent bodies and speedlights.
Local pickup in the Denver metro area.
has offered Photodoto readers a 15% discount off of any order over $40 (good through July 2008). Just enter code S-Photodoto08 during checkout. If you take them up on their offer, let us know what you thought of the service in the comments.
I have five friends who have birthdays in late May/early June and are photography enthusiasts so I have been keeping an eye open for gift ideas. So far, through random stumbling about on the internet I have come across these rather cool looking photo-related gadgets:
for Photoshop, Aperture, Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, After Effects, & Logic Pro. They’re $30 for laptops, $40 for desktops at although they’re only available for Macs.
looks like an easy, safe way to clean dust off the important inside parts of your camera. Plus it looks like a rocket, which is cool. Cost about $11 from .
so you can upload photos without digging through a mass of USB cables to find which one you need. Especially cool for traveling. and both sell them for $100 for the SD card and Photojojo has the SD card with a CF adapter for $130.
if you’ve lived in Alaska (like me) or anywhere else cold you’ll appreciate the dilemma of choosing between frostbite or an inability to manipulate your cameras dials, buttons, and other delicate parts. These are designed to keep your hands warm and cable of operating a camera and tripod. have them for about $30.
because what’s the point in taking all those photos if you don’t display some of them? And this is a pretty cool way to display them. has rope with 8 plain magnets for $12, has rope with six scotty dog shaped magnets also for $12.
What’s your favourite photo gadget? If you’ve got one of these or any other cool photo gadgets let us know in the comments which one you feel coolest playing with.
Saw this of people being punched in the face this morning (via ). (.)
High-speed photography, to me, is amazing. Typically we photographers deal in stills but the line between photography and video is blurring. Manufacturers have been adding video capability to still cameras and vice versa for a long time. Photographers have been known to spend ungodly amounts of time putting together video from still frames. And very slow video like the above has a very photographic feel.
If you fancy trying your hand at high-speed photography, Casio may have just the (affordable) ticket. Their recently released (March 2008) is a 6.1 megapixel camera capable of shooting at up to 1200 frames per second. Play thatback at normal video speeds (24 fps) and you’ve got home-made slow-mo movies for around $1,000.
The EX-F1 is also able to capture full-resolution stills in 60 frame-per-second bursts. And they provide an innovative mode that allows the camera to capture shots you missed. In this mode, holding down the shutter half-way continuously captures 60 frames and then discards them each second until you press the shutter fully. This is perfect for capturing unpredictable action. Now you can go back in time 60 seconds and pick the right moment as the keeper.
It’s not widely available yet (you can get it from B&H but you have to make a phone order). If anyone out there has got one of these babies, let us know what you think. I’m especially interested in thoughts about the 60fps capability for capturing action.
My photo blog (shameless plug: ) has been getting some traffic from StumbleUpon lately which brings with it little waves of attention. 99% of it is positive. But invariably there are a few people who don’t seem to have anything better to do than to say trite, mean things (anonymously, natch).
Hey, I’ve been around long enough to know there are jackasses out there who, while not doing anything risky or creative of their own, will always be willing to bash what everyone else is doing. I let it roll off my back.
But the one that makes me laugh is when they claim a photograph has been “photoshopped.” Well, duh. That’s like looking at the ocean and denouncing it by saying, “Wet.” Photoshopped? Let me think… Um, yes, please!
I modify 99% of my published photos. Of the thousand I’ve posted to Flickr there are maybe a half-dozen that I posted as-is from the camera. My earliest photos had the least “work done.” Later, as I became more experienced with digital post-processing, I edited quite heavily (probably too heavily in many cases). Lately, as my skill, confidence, and ability to pre-visualize with the camera has grown, I’ve been able to get what I want with minor adjustments or black and white conversion but I still sometimes edit heavily.
I think that most people who cry foul over a photo think that it’s a complete fake (reasoning: there’s no way I could take that photo, therefore no one could, therefore fake) and that the photographer is trying to pass it off as if it weren’t. (Keep in mind I’m talking about art not journalism.) Like I’m using Photoshop to pull a fast one and it’s the duty of these sharp-eyed photo-police to point out to everyone that the photo isn’t “real.”
News flash: no photos are “real.” At best, they’re a cropped, 2-dimensional representation of something real. Photographs are stories. Every one. Some of the stories are simple: we saw a famous landmark. Some can have a much deeper, even spiritual, impact. A single photograph can tell different stories to different people. And the last time I checked, stories don’t have to be “real” to have real meaning.
by Harold Davis (published by O’Reilly) is a new book that teaches basic but important lessons: understanding light and how to capture it creatively with a digital camera. The author sums up the philosophy of the book in the introduction: “Today’s photographer is one part digital artist and one part photographer.” But he also warns that “it is fundamentally flawed to assume that incorrect exposures can be corrected in Photoshop.”
Read on to learn more about the book and find out how you can get a free copy.
Light and Exposure then proceeds to reintroduce the basics of exposure, the exposure “equation,” and how exposure can be used creatively. From there he devotes an entire chapter each to aperture, shutter speed, and ISO and noise. For $20, it’s the cheapest Digital Photography 101 course you’ll find. The topics are covered in depth and the author uses an approach grounded in understanding concepts rather than telling you exactly which buttons to push (which would be practically impossible since everyone’s camera is different).
I agree with the approach. Photography is part artistry but it is also part technical know-how. An artist who is also a master of his tools can create images that match his vision with precision and confidence. Reading about apertures and shutter speeds and exposure equations can sound daunting but Mr. Davis writes plainly and explains the concepts clearly.
The book is also filled with wonderful photographs, each with a caption that describes how it was made. One could skip the main text entirely and just browse through the photos reading about how each was created. Lens choice, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed are provided for each along with descriptions of the conditions and thoughts of the author as he was capturing the image.
The final chapter of the book is devoted to digital darkroom techniques. It is not a comprehensive tutorial in Photoshop by any means but it does cover the basics of RAW conversion, adjusting exposure and white balance, noise reduction, and some creative effects including HDR, cross-processing, and black and white conversions.
After reading it, I was struck by how similar it was to my copy of by Bryan Peterson. They’re very similar books in many ways and there is a great deal of overlap in topics (and, let’s face it, cameras have been about shutter speed and aperture since the very beginning). Understanding Exposure is a great book and I still recommend it. However, it was originally written for film photographers and barely scratches the surface when it comes to digital. Light and Exposure is focused exclusively on digital and has a few more tips to share in that regard.
If you’ve already read and comprehend Understanding Exposure or have a very strong understanding of exposure, then you won’t get a lot from Light and Exposure. But if you shoot digital and want a good introduction to the all-important basics then I strongly recommend reading .
Want a copy of the book? Leave a comment with a valid email address. One reader will be chosen at random on Wednesday (May 7) to receive my slightly used review copy.
Being 
Jared at just sent me some information about their rental business located in Boulder, Colorado. I’ve used a couple of these services personally (read reviews of and ) and we also have a .
I have five friends who have birthdays in late May/early June and are photography enthusiasts so I have been keeping an eye open for gift ideas. So far, through random stumbling about on the internet I have come across these rather cool looking photo-related gadgets: