JMG-Galleries - Jim M. Goldstein Photography

EXIF and Beyond Special Edition: Lucinda Dugger of the Copyright Alliance

Jim — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:24 +0000

The 31st episode, a special edition, of EXIF and Beyond has been released (duration 13:41 min.)

This special edition of EXIF and Beyond features an interview with Lucinda Dugger, Director of Outreach and Field Initiatives for the Copyright Alliance. Discussed is the on going initiative for creatives of all type to sign a letter to the President of the United States to pursue policies that respect the rights of artists.

This letter and all gathered signatures will be delivered to the White House on November 16, 2009.

In addition to sharing information about the Letter to the President initiative Lucinda discusses general information about the Copyright Alliance and other priority projects being pursued.

Links of Note:

Listen To The Podcast

EXIF and Beyond: Lucinda Dugger of the Copyright Alliance

If you enjoyed this episode please be sure to rate and comment on the EXIF and Beyond podcast on iTunes.

Technorati Tags: photography, podcast, copyright, Lucinda Dugger, Copyright Alliance, Letter to the President, EXIF and Beyond, special edition

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

EXIF and Beyond Special Edition: Lucinda Dugger of the Copyright Alliance

Racetrack Sunrise, Death Valley National Park

Jim — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:21:42 +0000

Death Valley National Park’s Racetrack is one of the most incredible locations for landscape photography. The iconic rocks that litter the playa with mysterious trails behind them are an endless source of wonder. Death Valley in general appears dull and lifeless during most hours of the day, but at sunrise and sunset the landscape transforms from a dull colorless environment to one overflowing with texture and vibrant hues. As you drive through the park it’s tough to imagine, but once you experience it you’ll never look at the landscape the same way.

On this trip getting the most out of the morning light was not a problem for those in attendance of my photo tour. The side and back lighting of the sun brings out the texture of the playa and the tracks behind the rocks. One merely needs to find a distinct rock with noticeable tracks to have a morning full of fun. On this morning there were a half dozen photographers on the playa including photographer and friend Gary Crabbe and Rebecca Jackrel who were some where off in the distance behind me. This trip was particular productive for everyone and I’m tempted to line up another tour of this area in February. Anyone interested?

Racetrack Sunrise, Death Valley National Park

Technorati Tags: Landscape, Photography, Racetrack, Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, Stock Photo

“Twitter Revolution” Audio & Slide Presentations

Jim — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:33:26 +0000

Below are the audio recordings and presentation slides from the Twitter Revolution discussion panel at Photo Plus Expo held on October 22nd, 2009 in New York. The following recordings are listed in order of presentation. All credit for this great session goes to Jack Hollingsworth (who just launched his new blog).

Jack Hollingsworth – How to Modernize

Rosh Sillars – How to Magnetize

Seshu – How to Mesmerize

Taylor Davidson – How to Monetize

Jim M. Goldstein – How to Mobilize

Slides for each Presentation:
(via Slideshare.net or PDF)

Speaker Twitter Pages
@PicSeshu
@tdavidson
@jimgoldstein
@photojack
@newmediaphoto

Technorati Tags: Social Media, Twitter, Photo Plus Expo, TwitterRev, Jack Hollingsworth, Rosh Sillars, Seshu Badrinath, Taylor Davidson, Jim M. Goldstein

BorrowLenses.com Lens Rental Giveaway Results

Jim — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:01:06 +0000

The winner of the BorrowLenses.com Lens Rental Giveaway is…

Kristina Jacobs

Selections were made randomly thanks to the use of the random number generator at Random.org. Extra comments or entries were excluded from the random selection.

5% Discount
If you didn’t win don’t forget to claim your 5% discount at Borrowlenses.com with the JMG-Galleries Blog discount code “JJJ5” sans quotation marks.

Additional Specials & Announcements
If you’re on Twitter be sure to follow Borrowlenses as they often announce specials and other discount codes.

Add a Comment to Show Your Support
Thanks to everyone that took part by entering the contest. I’ll be working with Borrowlenses.com in the future in the hopes of bringing you more of these giveaways. If you’d like to see more of these types of giveaways on the JMG-Galleries.com Blog be sure to add a comment here. The more interest the more likely I can repeat such a giveaway.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Technorati Tags: photography, borrowlenses.com, borrowlenses, equipment, rental

EXIF and Beyond: Tom Hogarty on Lightroom 3

Jim — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:10:23 +0000

The 30th episode of EXIF and Beyond has been released (duration 24:53 min.)

This episode of EXIF and Beyond features an interview with Tom Hogarty product manager for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, the Adobe Raw Converter plugin and the DNG file format. Discussed is the release of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta and its many new features & enhancements. This talk is the first of a two part discussion.

Unlike past episodes the second half of this two part discussion has yet to take place. You are invited to ask Tom questions about Lightroom 3 Beta via comments to this blog post. The second half of our discussion will be comprised of answering your questions. While I can’t promise every question will be discussed I’ll aim to present the best and most pertinent questions to Tom to answer. Tom has been quite gracious to take part in this Q&A format and has even asked Lightroom 3 Beta users for specific feedback in this episode. If and when you comment be sure to leave your name and hometown so I can attribute your name to the question discussed.

The deadline to submit questions to be included in the next podcast is Sunday November 8th 15th at 9pm PST

Related Sites

Adobe Labs Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta site

Noted Posts:

Direct Timelapse Video Export from Lightroom by Sean McCormack

Listen To The Podcast

Download: EXIF and Beyond: Tom Hogarty
If you enjoyed this episode please be sure to rate and comment on the EXIF and Beyond podcast on iTunes.

Technorati Tags: photography, podcast, Tom Hogarty, Lightroom, Photoshop, Lightroom 3, Adobe, photography, EXIF and Beyond

Art and Prejudice: What Is The Real Truth In Photography?

Jim — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:01:04 +0000

Featured today is a guest blog post by photographer and friend Guy Tal. Guy has long been an inspiration in both his photography and writing. Our blog post exchange today touches on a subject discussed in an essay “This Photo Is Lying to You” by Rob Haggart in Outside Magazine that resonated with both Guy and I separately. After a brief exchange via email we decided to share our views on the subject with you, our readers, in the hope of generating a healthy debate within the photography community. Enjoy! We look forward to your comments.

—

What would you think of someone claiming to be an art connoisseur berating and disparaging the validity of paintings by Van Gogh, Dali, or Monet? How about a self-described classical music buff proclaiming that symphonies by Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart are detrimental to the social value of all music? Such statements would likely be met with scorn and ridicule. And yet, a piece in a recent edition of Outside Magazine makes similarly outlandish statements against photographic artists, accusing them of damage to the practice of photography in all its genres.

In fact, the argument made in the article dismisses the philosophy and life works of giants from Alfred Stieglitz to Ansel Adams, not to mention countless contemporary photographers, as “lies” and “fakery”.

There’s a lot in the article that I disagree with, but one statement in particular is bothersome to me:

“No matter how forthright one is about alterations, fake photos cause collateral damage. They devalue the work of photographers with the skill and patience to capture awing images in real time.”

No they don’t. Do fiction writers devalue the work of investigative reporters? Do fantasy movies diminish the accomplishment of documentary filmmakers? Does science fiction cause damage to science? Further, is the implication that those who create art in the medium of photography are somehow less skilled or patient than their editorial counterparts? How insulting.

It is worth mentioning that the same issue of Outside features black-and -white images, images showing motion blur and lens distortion, and any number of other creative techniques making them what Ansel Adams would call “departures from reality.” And, of course, glamorized photographs featured in paid advertisements seem altogether exempt from criticism.

In a previous essay Idealizing the Landscape, I wrote: “Honesty is not a quality of images but rather of people; and comes into play in how the work is presented.” One would do well to avoid assigning moral values to inanimate creations. Images don’t lie. They can’t. For the same reason, images don’t tell the truth either. The only way to assess the documentary veracity of an image is by the trustworthiness of the people behind it: the photographer and the publication. When an image is misrepresented, the photographer is lying – not the image.

While one could plausibly make the argument for honesty in reportage, Haggart goes beyond the editorial and openly criticizes an art photographer (Ed Freeman) who fully acknowledges his methods and had never tried to pass his work as anything other than creative interpretations (and I may add – stunningly beautiful work of great skill and patience.) This is where the noble pursuit of “truth” ends for me, and prejudice rears its ugly head.

Photographic tools and images are every bit as versatile as paintbrushes and writing instruments. Just like one would not expect all written words to be indisputable truth, they can’t and should not expect every product of a camera to represent reality. In fact, as Mr. Haggart himself admits: “truth in photography has always been fuzzy (…) the camera always lies.”

The article states that “There’s a growing hunger for the truth.” Indeed. But what is the truth? Is it the misguided belief that all photographs represent reality? Is it not far better for consumers of imagery to become educated and to realize that the camera, like the pen or the chisel or the word processor, is an expressive medium and their trust in photograph may in fact be misinformed? Like it or not: that is the truth.

Rather than promote the Orwellian persecution of those whose photography ventures into creative expression, let this be the dawn of a new age of enlightenment. Consumers of photographic images must realize that while some are meant to represent true events, others are intended as works of visual art and symbolic metaphors. Failure to acknowledge the difference is simply embracing ignorance rather than trying to remedy it.

For us in the know – whether photographers, editors, curators, reporters or artists – the goal should not be to impose draconian limitations on personal expression (need we mention dark periods in human history where this was the case?) Instead, it is our duty to educate and inform.

Nobody expects to find accounts of actual events when reading fantasy novels, nor literal representations of real subjects in abstract art. People can be taught to distinguish between the documentary, the fictional, and the symbolic. Rather than assume our audience is ignorant or uncaring, we should earn their trust and faithfully represent our work for what it is – editorial or otherwise. Our mission should be to help deepen understanding, broaden horizons, and foster appreciation for a variety of expressive media. To assume that all people expect the same thing from photographs and can’t be bothered to learn the difference between reportage and creative expression is an insult to our audience.

—

If you enjoyed this be sure to read my writing on Guy’s blog:
Photography’s Eternal Identity Struggle

Technorati Tags: Photography, Philosophy, Digital Editing, Photo, Manipulation, Art, Photoshop

Happy Halloween from the Photo Assistants III

Jim — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:45:05 +0000

Happy Halloween from my photo assistants! This Halloween the dogs were in great form doing as good a job in front of the camera as they normally do behind the camera. Photographed below is Moe as Captain Hook, Curly as Tinkerbell and Zoe as Peter Pan. From my family to yours, stay forever young and have a safe Halloween. (see the videos after the jump)

Happy Halloween from the Photo Assistants III

Trying to Wrangle the Dogs

“The Snoring” – Post-Photoshoot

Technorati Tags: Halloween, dog, costume, canine, K9, holiday, Neverland, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell

Racetrack Light Lasso, Death Valley National Park

Jim — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:23:29 +0000

One of the more interesting places in Death Valley National Park is a place called the Racetrack. This dry lake bed is home to a fascinating phenomenon of large rocks that seem to inexplicably move and leave tracks in the dried mud of the playa. The current theory is that as the lake bed becomes wet from the rain and as strong winds blow through the valley the rocks slowly move. No matter how the tracks are made these rocks make for a great photographic subject. During my previous Death Valley photo tour a few weeks ago I captured many traditional fine art photos of these rocks and tracks. Some of my favorite photos from this trip came from a late night light painting experiment. Below is one of my favorites.

Racetrack Light Lasso, Death Valley National Park

Technorati Tags: Photography, Death Valley, Night Photography, Light Painting, National Park, Racetrack

Zabriskie Point at Dawn – Death Valley National Park

Jim — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:03:27 +0000

After a brief trip to New York for Photo Plus Expo I’m back and I couldn’t help, but publish another Zabriskie Point photo. This was taken earlier than my last Zabriskie Point Sunrise – Death Valley National Park. My recent workshop to Death Valley was well timed as lingering clouds from dissipating storms made the photogenic landscape even more photogenic. In addition sunset and sunrise colors were incredible, well beyond the normal for Death Valley. This trip was so successful I’m tempted to get out there again very soon. A return trip will have to wait though as I have another photo tour coming up. If you’re interested in joining me in the future check my photo tour schedule.

Zabriskie Point at Dawn – Death Valley National Park

Technorati Tags: Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California, Landscape, Photography, Stock Photo, Fine Art

Lens Rental Giveaway Thanks to BorrowLenses.com

Jim — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Borrowlenses.com has been kind enough to make available yet another free week long lens rental (excluding super telephoto lenses) to be given away here on the JMG-Galleries blog.

In order to be eligible you need to:

Contest open to only those in the US. Lens rentals cannot be shipped to other countries.
The lucky winner will place the order online at BorrowLenses.com and they request a credit card number to cover the risk of a no-return. They will not charge your credit card. BorrowLenses.com is a reputable business but if you don’t feel comfortable with this condition, please don’t enter
The offer excludes super telephoto lenses and pro camera bodies.

HOW TO ENTER

Peruse Borrowlenses.com to find something you’d be interested to rent. Feel free to let me know what catches your eye. I won’t hold you to this if you win. I’m just curious.
Note: Available lenses are for Nikon and Canon cameras. Not a Nikon or Canon user consider their lighting and tripod equipment.
Add a comment to this post with the item you’d be most interested to rent.
Post the following on Twitter to get an additional entry to the contest:
“Win a free BorrowLenses.com lens rental : Follow @jimgoldstein for a chance to win http://bit.ly/Vdohd Thanks @borrowlenses #jmggalleries”

Receive a bonus entry to the raffle by…

Pointing me to a comment on your blog or Flickr photostream referencing this giveaway and Borrowlenses.com

Deadline: Sunday November 1st, 2009 at Midnight PST
The winner will be randomly chosen and announced no later than November 3rd.

Thanks for taking part and good luck!

Technorati Tags: photography, borrowlenses.com, borrowlenses, equipment, rental

Zabriskie Point Sunrise – Death Valley National Park

Jim — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:39 +0000

This past weekend I was able to share an amazing sunrise with a client at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park. The scene as it unfolded was amazing to witness. Clouds formed unexpectedly in the extremely dry air and were illuminated with an unreal pink color. I couldn’t imagine a better morning to photograph this iconic location. Mother Nature never fails to impress!

Zabriskie Point Sunrise - Death Valley National Park, California

Photo Info: Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24mm Tilt-Shift, (3) photo panoramic

Technorati Tags: Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California, Landscape, Photography, Stock Photo, Fine Art

Photo Project: Buying Prints from Your Favorite Photographers 2009

Jim — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:01:30 +0000

Last year I kicked off the first year of the Buying Prints from Your Favorite Photographers blog project and was really happy with the participation, but even happier with the prints I purchased. In the hope of building upon last years effort I’m kicking off another blog project with the exact same goals. For details see below…

“It’s not a photo until its a print“

One of the unique aspects of digital photography is that we’re now able to enjoy photographic work with out viewing it in printed form. More so now than ever before supporting a photographer is shown almost exclusively online through photo forums, blogs, and other online communities. While viewing photographs online is easy and relatively inexpensive it is a hollow experience by comparison to holding an actual print from a photographer you respect and admire.

The goal of this project is to introduce fine art photography, photography books, print exchanges, and other photography related products to photography fans of all walks of life. It is also to spur photography fans to think in terms of financially supporting talented photographers so they can continue to do what they love.

What This Project Entails:

Find photographs from photographers that you respect and admire.
Purchase a photograph or photographs from these photographers. Spend within your means. Ideally try to purchase 1 to 3 photographs.
Write about the experience (buying, viewing, etc) on your web site, blog, Flickr page, etc.
Participants should then send me a link to their write up (see details below)
I’ll consolidate a list of links to the write ups of everyone that took part in early December on my blog and distribute it.

What You Can Do To Make This Project A Success

Contact photographers that you may or may not know.
Point them to this post and provide them background to your print request.
Even if you have little to spare inquire about a discount or an alternate product to purchase such as notecards, calendars, proof print, etc. Any participation is better than no participation. The goal is to obtain a physical copy of photographs you like.
Alternatively if you’re a photographer it is not uncommon to conduct print exchanges, where photographers exchange equivalent prints. Not every photographer may do this so don’t be offended if you approach someone who is not interested in such an exchange.
If you’re a photographer consider providing a discount to project participants.
My discount: All 5 x 7 & 8 x 12 prints are $19.99 & $29.99 respectively.
For every two people who buy prints and provide you as a reference I’ll give you a free 8 x 12 print of your choice. Search for you photo
Spread the word about this project.

The Deadline

Before the conclusion of this project on December 4th, 2009 write a blog post highlighting the photographs you’ve acquired and share thoughts of your experience in becoming a fine art print owner. Send me a link to your blog post and I’ll post the results the week of December 7th.

How to send in your link to your blog post:

Access my Contact page
In the subject line type “Favorite Photographer Prints”
In the message put the name of your site, web address, link to your “Favorite Photographer Print” blog entry.

PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR BLOG LINK AS A COMMENT TO THIS ENTRY.

I look forward to seeing your submission!

Technorati Tags: Photography, Fine Art, Prints, Photo Project