One of the harder parts about being a photographer is the constant need to find a new and unique way to tell a story. For some folks, that means finding a lens with the creamiest of creamy bokehs or the widest possible aperture; for others, it’s a new camera or oddball shooting format. For a hot second, HDR was the big thing, then some photographers started rocking the crushed blacks. In any event, it feels like it’s a constant arms race to find and embrace the new “big thing.”

Personally, while others are looking to the future for the newest toys, I try to look in the other direction. I’m a sucker for a good analog format, and I’m constantly looking to the past for fresh ideas. Over the past few months, I’ve been playing around with re-spooled cinema film.

This isn’t exactly a new idea, of course. In 1913, the first Leica camera was designed around using standard cinema film, the 35mm format that’s so common today. With a little bit of searching, you can buy cinema film in spools directly from Kodak and Fuji, or as 35mm rolls online. (Note: when buying color cinema film, be aware that the remjet on the back can damage a standard C41 process machine. If you’re not home developing, make sure your lab knows this.)

Most recently I’ve been playing around with two different black and white cinema films. One is re-spooled Kodak Double-X I picked up online, the other is the newly released Lomography Potsdam Kino film. Both can be safely shot between 100 and 400 ISO and produce fantastic results.  According to Lomography, you can push Kino quite a bit – perhaps even up to 3200 while still maintaining a solid amount of detail.   

You’ve probably seen the Double X before – the opening to “Casino Royale” was shot on it, and it’s often the go-to for black-and-white scenes these days. It’s still in production, is relatively cheap, and is easy to process. Last month, I shot a couple of rolls out in the field under a variety of conditions. Like many black and white films I found there was a fairly wide tonal range, allowing you to recover shadows when shooting under mixed-to-low lighting conditions. The sharpness reminded me of TMax, but the softer grays felt more like HP5 or Tri-X. Processing was as easy as any other black and white – I home developed using D-76, and scanned them up with a Nikon 9000 film scanner.

The Potsdam Kino film was fascinating to shoot with as well, and unlike the Double-X is available in both 35mm and 120 formats. While Lomo is understandably cagey about revealing the source for their new film, they did provide this description:

“Inspired by the New German Cinema sweeping through Europe in the 1960s, Lomography’s Kino Films are extracted from rolls of cine film produced by a legendary German company that has been changing the face of cinema since the early 1900s. Originally used to make moody monochrome movies, their gorgeous black and white tones lend a timeless effect to cinematic scenes. ” 

I did find it to be a unique aesthetic, compared to the Double X or more traditional black and whites. The grain was pleasing and noticeable without being overwhelming, with softer blacks and more muted contrasts. If anything, it reminded me of some of the older Eastern European and Russian film stocks you sometimes see pop up. Where the Double X is crisp, Kino feels a bit more relaxed. If film was a fabric, the Kino would be warm flannel. 

C.S. Muncy is a New York City-based freelance photojournalist with a client list that includes The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, The New York Daily News and The Village Voice. His work has also appeared in Time Magazine, The Smithsonian Magazine and Wired Japan. In 2012, he was selected for the 25th Eddie Adams Workshop, received the NPPA Short Course Travel Grant and won first prize in the National Geographic/Nikon “Full Story” photo contest. A graduate of the Defense Information School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2002 and is currently a combat correspondent with the 106th Rescue Wing.

The post Shooting on Cinema Film: Lomography Potsdam Kino versus Kodak Double X – By C.S. Muncy appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

I shoot a lot of portraits. The majority are for editorial and commercial clients, which most give me a lot of a creative license to have fun and capture the person however I want.

In 2018, I started shooting more for myself. In part to be fully free to shoot how I want, but also to learn more about folks I meet in my community and on my travels.

These 15 portraits are a mix of my favorite, both clients and personal, for the year.

See more of Nic’s work on Instagram.

Nic Coury is a photojournalist based in Monterey, Calif. He has had work published in Sports Illustrated, Cycle World and Bicycling magazines, and has shot commercial jobs for Specialized Bicycles, Ferrari and Bugatti. He also covers crime for a local newspaper. In his free time, he drinks too many espressos and wins mustache competitions. 

The post My Favorite Portraits of 2018 – By Nic Coury appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

.Jim Koenigsaecker is a philanthropist and photojournalist based in Sacramento, California. During the glory days of newspapers, he covered everything from the White House to the Olympic Games with his trusty Leica. These days he uses photography to amplify his advocacy efforts. You can follow him on Instagram @jim_koenigsaecker.

The post Lamu, Kenya – By Jim Koenigsaecker appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

I love camera bags and have way too many, but I’m very picky about how I carry my gear.

As a photographer who is very picky and as a journalist, I am drawn to the classic Domke-style shoulder bags and prefer a small bag that just works where I can grab things out of habit. A few years ago, I switched to the Think Tank Retrospective bags, which are a bit more padded and a bit more modern than the Domke canvas bags.

As things modernize in cameras, so do accessories. Along came the Cecilia Tharp, a very sleek, all-leather shoulder bag that, with a few quirks, fits my needs extremely well. I don’t like to think about my gear when I’m working so I can solely concentrate on shooting and this bag is exactly that.

For travel and editorial assignments, I typically carry less gear, which most often is my Leicas and a few lenses, which is probably a similar kit size to the folks shooting the mirrorless cameras by Sony and Fuji. This bag is probably geared towards them and it just kinda works well.

It’s got a nicely-designed, padded strap, which is the equivalent to nice insoles in running shoes. The bag is eight-liter and can fit a few primes lenses, or a flash, or a handful of film.

A few quirks of the Cecilia Tharp threw me for a loop at first. First off, unlike the TT Retrospective bag, which just has a velcro flap over the bag, the Tharp has a zipper under the flap, which might be nice if your bag is moving around a lot, or your walking in a busy area and provides another level of security, but for me, I don’t like a second element to reach inside the bag without looking.

The bigger issue of the bag for me is the flap connects to the outer pocket via magnets and while it’s a nice design feature to not show velcro on leather, they’re simply not strong enough. I sometimes overload the bag or have bulky items in the front pocket and the contents of the Tharp really must be slim and streamlined in the bag for the magnets to attach best. I prefer the velcro of the Think Tank bags or the clasp of the Domke.

Those issues aside, which may not be bothersome for everybody, the Tharp bag is fantastic and looks great, which fits with higher-end camera systems—it’s like a nice pair of dress shoes to my usual, beat up Converse sneakers.

I’ve worn it all day over my shoulder in the last month and it’s quickly becoming my bag of choice for short assignments.

Nic Coury is a photojournalist based in Monterey, Calif. He has had work published in Sports Illustrated, Cycle World and Bicycling magazines, and has shot commercial jobs for Specialized Bicycles, Ferrari and Bugatti. He also covers crime for a local newspaper. In his free time, he drinks too many espressos and wins mustache competitions.

The post Cecilia Tharp 8L Leather Camera Messenger Bag Review – By Nic Coury appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

In 2013, Sigma released their 35mm 1.4 Art, the first in a series of high quality lenses that pushed the company to the front of many shooters holiday wish lists. Unlike many other companies, Sigma took their time releasing follow up lenses and pushed quality over quantity, and sold them at a lower price than the nearest peer competitor.

Earlier this year, the company got around to releasing the 105mm 1.4 Art lens. Sigma wasn’t the first to release this high-speed focal length (Nikon beat them to it by almost two years) but it’s still in a rather small, select club of affordable, high end lenses. Last month I was sent a review sample, and had the chance to test it out in a variety of settings.

Let’s get the most glaring question out of the way: how is this different from the Nikon 105mm 1.4? The Nikon 105mm is an outstanding lens, easily one of their best. It’s light, relatively small and fast. The Sigma, by contrast, is much larger, built with a metal barrel, and is significantly heavier. This may not be a bad thing, though – the heavier barrel means it’s going to take a harder beating, and the tripod mount can be useful if you’re using your camera with a sling. If you’re shooting with a lens that’s heavier than the body, clipping your sling to the body can cause a lot of wear and tear to the lens mount – sometimes to the point of breaking it. Being able to clip onto the tripod mount alleviates a lot of those problems. The mount is also Arca-Swiss compatible, meaning you don’t have to worry about having to carry another plate around with you.

The larger filter size means buying quality protective glass will cost you a little more. However, I really suggest picking one up – that’s a lot of lens to leave naked, and there’s no sense buying a cheap UV or polarizing filter if it’s going to degrade your image quality.

In terms of autofocus, I found the Sigma to be marginally slower than the Nikon. The difference was so small as to be a non-issue for me. However, if you’re shooting sports or high-impact scenes, you may want to spend some time practicing with it just to get a solid feel for the lens reaction time.

Now, to the most important question: how is the image quality?

I tested this lens using a Nikon D4, D750 and F100, and shot portraits at New York Comic Con and some casual portraits in the Navy Yard in Washington DC. In both areas, I found the pictures to be tack sharp, with an extremely narrow depth of field and good color rendition. The contrast was pleasing, and I didn’t see any noticeable chromatic aberration. The nine-bladed aperture provided for an extremely pleasing bokeh. All in all, I was impressed.

Should you buy it?

I have zero problems recommending this lens, but you should remember that there is a significant difference in size and weight when compared to the Nikon 105mm. For most shooters this won’t be an issue – but if you’re going to be working from the field for an extended period of time, it’s something you should keep in the back of your mind. At almost seven hundred dollars less than the Nikon, this lens will make a lot of sense for most photographers.

C.S. Muncy is a New York City-based freelance photojournalist with a client list that includes The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, The New York Daily News and The Village Voice. His work has also appeared in Time Magazine, The Smithsonian Magazine and Wired Japan. In 2012, he was selected for the 25th Eddie Adams Workshop, received the NPPA Short Course Travel Grant and won first prize in the National Geographic/Nikon “Full Story” photo contest. A graduate of the Defense Information School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2002 and is currently a combat correspondent with the 106th Rescue Wing.

The post Sigma 105mm 1.4 Art Lens Review – By CS Muncy appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

Happy Holidays to all our fellow Brigaders! Every year we ask members of our wonderful community for their photo gear recommendations. This years recommendations are from David Bergman, Robert Caplin, Nicole Craine, Alexis Cuarezma, Chuy Gutierrez, Vanessa Joy, and Warren Winter. We have a load of items you might want to take a browse through before executing your holiday or end-of-year purchases!

As always, we recommend purchasing items through our special Adorama Discount Program. If you’d like to check your special Photo Brigade price, just email Daniel Gee with your items and ask for the Photo Brigade Discount. He will arrange everything from there! Otherwise, browse the items below and click the links for full descriptions!

Cameras & Lenses

1. Canon EOS-R digital camera body and mount adapters – The full-frame mirrorless EOS R camera is the first in Canon’s new EOS R system. With a new mount, a variety of dedicated lenses, full compatibility with EF/EF-S lenses* and significant achievements in handling and performance, the EOS R leads a new chapter in Canon’s legacy of imaging excellence.
“The brand new EOS-R is Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera body and represents the next generation of camera from the company. Canon has long been known for its color quality, autofocus ability, and high ISO (low-light) performance. The EOS-R continues that tradition by using the same sensor as the best-selling 5D Mark 4 body but at a lower price. The RF mount bring the new lenses closer to the sensor, which means they’re incredibly sharp from edge to edge. If you’re not ready to pick up the new lenses, add on one of three EF-EOS-R lens adapters to make the body compatible with the Canon EF and EF-S lenses you might already own.” –David Bergman

2. Canon M50 – The EOS M50 is a compact interchangeable lens camera for aspiring photographers looking for an easy way to boost the quality of their photos and videos. With clear, high-resolution 4K UHD 24p video, you can capture the incredible details and cinematic moments of your life at home or wherever your adventures take you.
“I love this camera b/c it’s small, amazing for video and also takes good photos. In addition, with an adapter you can use all your canon EF lenses.” –Alexis Cuarezma

3. Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 – Ultra slim and compact, the new EF-M 22mm f/2 STM is the EOS M Digital Camera’s moderate wide-angle lens that’s small and light enough to carry everywhere. Its bright f/2.0 lens aperture works well with the EOS M Digital Camera’s large sensor to provide exceptional low-light performance, as well as create beautiful background blur in portraits.
“This lens is a perfect fit for the M50. It’s small, lightweight and fast! Keeps the entire kit small.” –Alexis Cuarezma

4. Canon 85mm f/1.4 – With a superb combination of optics, performance, advanced features and a durable design, the EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM is an outstanding L-series medium-telephoto lens. As Canon’s first 85mm L-series lens with IS capability, it has an advanced optical formula with a large-diameter aspherical lens, plus a bright f/1.4 maximum aperture to deliver gorgeous, sharp and detailed images suitable for virtually any application. Its versatile combination of built-in image stabilization and its sophisticated design make it perfect for handheld use even in harsh environments.
“I kissed my 85mm 1.2 goodbye (literally) when I feel head over heels in love with this lens including image stabilization.” –Vanessa Joy

5. GoPro HERO7 Black – Freakishly smooth footage. Smart-capture superpowers. Battle-tested and waterproof without a housing. This is HERO7 Black, the most advanced GoPro ever. With HyperSmooth stabilization, you’ll get gimbal like video— without the gimbal. A new intelligent photo mode delivers the best, most brilliant images automatically. And now with live streaming and the GoPro app, you can share every amazing moment as you live it. HERO7 Black takes GoPro performance—and your photos and videos—to a whole new level.
“It’s the GoPro they should have made years ago but I’m glad it’s finally here.” –Chuy Gutierrez

6. DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone – Equipped with the latest drone technologies, the new Mavic 2 Pro boasts major improvements in flight and imaging performance—despite maintaining a close resemblance with its predecessor. One key upgrade is the 20MP Hasselblad L1D-20c gimbal camera, which features a large 1-inch CMOS sensor, Hasselblad’s Natural Color Solution (HNCS) technology, an adjustable aperture of f/2.9 to f/11, and an ISO range of 3200 to 12,800—all of which ensure bright, high-resolution imagery.
“Story telling from the sky has never been easier or smoother. Compact enough to pack away, power enough to keep your clients coming back.” –Chuy Gutierrez

Backpacks

1. Tenba Roadie Backpack 20 – This backpack meets international carry-on regulations. It will fit two mirrorless or DSLR cameras (up to Pro size with grip) with 6-8 lenses (up to 400mm F2.8) or Canon red Sony cine camera with 3-5 lenses plus audio gear (headphones recorder) tripod monopod or shotgun mic and a laptop up to 17 inches. Also fits DJI Mavic and other compact drones.
“Fits my travel kit on the go as I create the content I’ve been dreaming of making for the last few years. Fits my cameras and so much more.” –Chuy Gutierrez

2. Tenba Cooper DSLR Backpack – The Cooper DSLR Backpack was built to accommodate a mirrorless or DSLR camera with 3-5 lenses, and the rear padded sleeve will hold an full-size iPad (or similar sized 10-inch tablet).
“I’m a big fan of backpacks over shoulder bags and the Cooper backpack is by far the sleekest and most stylish I’ve ever had.” –Robert Caplin

3. Think Tank Photo Shape Shifter Backpack – A revolution in backpack design, the Shape Shifter V2.0 expands and contracts to hold gripped camera bodies and a laptop. The backpackís innovative design makes it one of the most flexible carrying solutions for professional photographers. While traveling or on location, the Shape Shifter V2.0 adjusts to fit your workflow. The series features dedicated tablet and smartphone pockets, roller handle pass-through sleeve, removable water bottle pouch and updated pouch design.
“All of the pockets, zippers that work, fits a laptop AND I can take it as a carry-on for the plane? That’s right. And it even holds your gear in place in case you’re running late for a flight and leave a lens-sized zipper gap.” –Nicole Craine

Lighting & Modifiers

1. Profoto b10 – Shooting on location has lots of challenges. One of the most significant challenges arises before you even go there. How much gear to bring? Bring too much, and you’re weighed down by lights and cables. Not enough and the chances of capturing the image you’d hoped for might be compromised.That’s why Profoto created the Profoto B10 250 AirTTL Monolight, their smallest and most lightweight off-camera flash ever. With five times the power of a speedlight packed into the size and shape of a camera lens, the Profoto B10 makes it easy to be creative with light anywhere. In addition, the B10 is more than just a flash. It’s also a bright and dimmable continuous light that you can use to light both stills and videos. And the adjustable color temperature makes it easy to blend with ambient light.
“This baby hasn’t left my side since I got it. Continuous light plus strobe plus light plus iPhone app? Yes please!” –Vanessa Joy

2. Lume Cube Quad Pack – The Lume Cube’s durable casing is built for action. Providing professional quality lighting to your everyday life, the Lume Cube will allow you to revolutionize your photos and videos. Made to fit your lifestyle, the Lume Cube is ready to pair with your smartphone. The free app lets you control flash, duration, and brightness of multiple cubes.
“These are some of my favorite portable lights. They are small, bright and great for video and photos. If filming in terrible light, these are powerful enough to bounce off a wall and get nice soft light.” –Alexis Cuarezma

3. Spiffy Gear Light Blaster – The Spiffy Gear Light Blaster Strobe Based Projector allows you to use your shoe mount flash and a Canon EF or EF-S lens to transform an ordinary wall into a creative background of patterns, landscapes, people and places. Use your vacation slides to place your subject in a crowd or on a bridge or in a village square.
“If you wanted to project an image onto your background or your subject in the past, you had to use a old fashioned slide projector. Those things weren’t very bright and it limited what you could do with the rest of your lighting. The Light Blaster is a unique and relatively inexpensive product that will ignite your creativity in new ways. By placing this small plastic device over your flash and attaching a Canon or Nikon lens, you can project any 35mm image and use it in your photo. Because you’re shooting with flash, the projected image can be as bright as you need. In addition to the unit itself, Spiffy offers some pre-made slides if you want to start with things like angel wings, cityscapes, or random patterns.” –David Bergman

4. Westcott Flex Cine bi-color 1’x2’ – The Flex 1′ x 2′ Bi-Color LED mat is an ultra-versatile lighting solution designed for portability. This fully-bendable, rainproof mat is lightweight, weighing less than 1 pound. Despite its compact form, the Flex is extremely durable and emits up to 3900 lux at 1 meter output through 256 cutting-edge LEDs. Adjustable between 2800K and 6000K, the Flex Bi-Color boasts an impressive 95 to 98 CRI, rendering true-to-life colors and skin tones for minimized post-production editing.
“The continuous light power that comes out of these is insane and so helpful for video shoots as well as photo.” –Vanessa Joy

5. Profoto OFC 24″ Beauty Dish – The OCF Beauty Dish is a collapsible and more portable version of the classic Profoto Soft light Reflector. It creates a creamy yet crisp light, often referred to as a “beauty light.” When it comes to bringing out the beauty of your subjects, it is second to none. Since it is tailor-made for on-location photography, the OCF Beauty Dish is compact, lightweight and easy to use.
“I’ve been a Profoto user for years and have the original hard beauty dish. The “beauty” about this OFC version is that it’s light, breaks down, and is perfect for shoots on the go!” –Robert Caplin

6. Glow 5-in-1 reflector – This set of Glow reflector surfaces can soften shadows, reveal details hidden in darkness, enhance skin tones, diffuse harsh sunlight, add a sparkle to the eyes, or add contrast to a drab scene. All this power, without cords, in a highly portable kit consisting of 5 different resilient fabric surfaces stretched over the single spring steel collapsible frame.
“I buy multiples of this bad boy and use it on almost every single shoot.” –Vanessa Joy

Grip

1. DJI Ronin-S – Designed for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, the Ronin-S combines advanced stabilization, precision control and manual focus control capabilities in a compact, single-handed form factor. With the Ronin-S, creators can shoot with the freedom of stabilized shots on the move.
“Compact stabilization that fits in my camera bag for some of the most effective and captivating story telling on the go in this digital world!” –Chuy Gutierrez

2. Manfrotto XPRO Aluminum Monopod – The XPRO Monopod Aluminum 4-section with Fluid Video Head is a professional full fluid video monopod made to satisfy videographers who leverage the height of their monopod to get above crowds and to achieve a wide range of shooting angles.
“The monopod is lightweight, compact and easy to travel with. You can easily attach it to your bags while on the go and leave the hefty tripods at home.” –Nicole Craine

3. Joby GorillaPod 3K Stand – For devices that weigh less than 3kg (6.6lbs), the Joby GorillaPod 3K Stand easily adapts to support compact DSLR, mirrorless cameras or heavier flashes and is robust enough to hold multiple video lights or strobes with Jobys accessory kit or mounts. Its larger size makes this stand ideal as a grip for vlogging or live streaming.
“This tripod is perfect for being on the run and attaching to the M50 for on the go film making and recording BTS of interviews of yourself.” –Alexis Cuarezma

4. Extension pole + adapter – The Kacey Pole Adapter will let you mount your Strobes on a standard paint pole type extension pole. This will provide a simple economic solution for a photographer to have their assistant quickly move from various lighting setups where a stand is just awkward or unnecessary. Great setup for city shots where using a light stand may require a permit, windy beach shots, event, sports, weddings, etc.
“Most of my portraiture work is on the go. Rather than using a traditional light stand, I much prefer using an assistant with this portable and expandable painters pole that becomes a light stand with the adapter!” –Robert Caplin

5. MicroGaffer Tape – These Adorama microGAFFER rolls are just 1 inch wide by 8 yards long and weigh 2.2 ounces.
“Photographers use gaffer tape because it’s easy to rip and the sticky part doesn’t leave any residue when you peel it off. Black gaff is good for putting gels on flashes, securing cables and cords, and locking down lens hoods, while white or bright colored tape is perfect for labeling anything. It’s traditionally sold in big rolls, but those can be inconvenient and unwieldy, especially if you only need a small piece here or there. These micro sized rolls are super small, and I have one in every camera bag.” –David Bergman

Books

1. Upstate Girls: Unraveling Collar City – In the tradition of Dorothea Lange and Robert Frank, an eye-opening portrait of the rise and fall of the American working class, and a shockingly intimate visual history of Troy, New York that arcs over five hundred years—from Henry Hudson to the industrial revolution to a group of contemporary young women as they grow, survive, and love.
“Brenda shows love and commitment to the communities she photographs and opens up a world not many of us take the time to explore. Troy has a fascinating history and Brenda does a wonderful job sharing this story of post-industrial America with us in her new book Upstate Girls.” –Nicole Craine

2. The Family Imprint: A Daughter’s Portrait of Love and Loss – When American photojournalist Nancy Borowick’s (born 1985) parents Howie and Laurel were diagnosed with stage-four cancer and underwent simultaneous treatment, she did the only thing she knew how to do: she documented it. By turning the camera on her family’s life during this most intimate time, Borowick learned a great deal about herself, family and relationships in general. Borowick’s father died in 2013, and her mother followed 364 days later. The lessons she garnered from Howie and Laurel were plentiful: always call when the airplane lands, never pass on blueberry pie, and most importantly, family is love and love is family.
“While a 2017 book, Nancy’s beautiful testament to her mother and father who both tragically passed away after a battle with cancer is a book every photographer should have on their shelf. It also proves the importance of turning your camera on those you love.” –Robert Caplin

3. Picture : Muhammad Ali – A Rare Glimpse Into the Life of The Champ – The Champ as never before seen. Starting at age 12 when a young Cassius Clay won his first Kentucky Golden Gloves bout, the photographers of the Courier Journal began a very close symbiotic relationship with Muhammad Ali that would span nearly six decades. Ali trusted the photographers of the Courier Journal with something very special, a commitment to document his entire life, both inside the ring, and more importantly, outside the ring. The results are this very rare and exclusive collection of extraordinarily intimate, intense, and simply stunning photographs, many of which have never before been published giving even the most knowledgable Ali fan a whole new perspective of the Greatest of All Time.
“What I think makes Picture : Muhammad Ali so special is the incredible trust he had in the Courier Journal photographers and the unheard of level of access he gave them into his life beyond the ring.” –Warren Winter

4. Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents – As Chief Official White House Photographer, Pete Souza spent more time alongside President Barack Obama than almost anyone else. His years photographing the President gave him an intimate behind-the-scenes view of the unique gravity of the Office of the Presidency–and the tremendous responsibility that comes with it. Now, as a concerned citizen observing the Trump administration, he is standing up and speaking out. Shade is a portrait in Presidential contrasts, telling the tale of the Obama and Trump administrations through a series of visual juxtapositions. Here, more than one hundred of Souza’s unforgettable images of President Obama deliver new power and meaning when framed by the tweets, news headlines, and quotes that defined the first 500 days of the Trump White House.
“For those nostalgic about President Obama, check out the latest book put out by Obama’s Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza. As with his first book “An Intimate Portrait“, Pete shares scores of amazing photos he made while covering the president’s 8 years in office.” –Robert Caplin

5. #StillWithHer: Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Moments That Sparked a Movement – This book is a look forward at all the positive movements that have come forth from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s historic campaign for President. Before there were pink-eared protest caps, before a record number of women raised their hands to run for public office, there was Hillary Rodham Clinton. For 19 months, starting with Clinton’s declaration of her candidacy for president, women and girls dared to believe that experience, hard work, and homework could trump gender and put a woman in the White House, at last. This is the insider’s study of those heady, hard days told through the lens of the photographer always at Hillary’s side and the words of those who pulled with her. This is an intimate portrait of one of the most resilient and inspirational leaders in American History. Barbara Kinney is an award-winning photojournalist who has worked closely with the Clintons for more than 25 years.
“#StillWithHer isn’t a look back at a campaign to which we all know the outcome. It’s a look forward at all the positive movements that grew out of Clinton’s campaign. For example, the historic numbers of women who ran for public office helped lead this latest “blue wave” in the House of Representatives.” –Warren Winter

Miscellaneous

1. BenQ SW320 31.5 inch Computer Monitor – With stunning 4K resolution, the 31.5″ BenQ SW320 monitor is equipped with 99% Adobe RGB, 100% serge, 100% Rec. 709 and 87% DCI-P3 color space coverage providing you with a wide range of spectacular colors to work with.
“We all spend a lot of time working with our images on the computer. It’s been shown that more screen real estate actually increases productivity so I use two screens every day. One is my MacBook Pro, but my primary screen is the BenQ SW320. It’s a massive 31.5 inch high resolution display, but more importantly, it can display 99% of the wider-gamut Adobe RGB color space. That’s geek speak, but it means that you’ll see smoother gradients, more vibrancy, and the most accurate colors possible when toning your images.” –David Bergman

2. Synology 4-Bay NAS DiskStation – Featuring a powerful quad-core CPU, Synology DiskStation is perfect for home users or small businesses looking for a compact and reliable shared storage solution to process intensive workloads.
“There’s never enough storage for the growing file sizes in these fancy new cameras. Photographers will often hold off until the absolute last minute to upgrade storage because shiny new lenses and gadgets distract us until, UH OH, your disk space is low. Imagine this as the more expensive thermal underwear and wool socks of the photo world because we don’t know we want it until we need it.” –Nicole Craine

3. Saramonic UWMIC9 RX9 – The Saramonic RX9 is a dual-channel wireless receiver unit for the UWMIC9 system. Multiple receiver units can be paired simultaneously with 1 or 2 transmitters for a multiple output camera setup. The RX9 is a camera-mountable integrated wireless receiver. It features a wide switching RF bandwidth, an easy-to-read LCD display and infrared synchronization between transmitter and receiver. Equipped with an auto-scan function, the RX9 can automatically search for an available transmission frequency. The headphone jack enables real-time monitoring or the receiver via headphones, especially useful for cameras that lack a monitor output.
“These are the best, and most affordable wireless mics out there. They are great for getting good audio when doing interviews.” –Alexis Cuarezma

4. The North Face Women’s Apex Plus Etip Gloves – Get the comfortable fit of the classic Etip glove plus additional insulation and keep your hands warmer this winter when using touchscreen devices in cool-to-cold conditions. All five fingers and the suede gripper palm feature conductive technology so you don’t have to remove these tech-savvy gloves to stay connected to the digital world.
“Gloves! More cold weather is on the way and gloves can be a lifesaver out in the snow or while you’re suppressing an anxiety attack in Times Square while waiting 6 hours waiting for a ball to drop. Feeling fancy? Get the Liner 7V Heated Glove Liners (below).” –Nicole Craine

5. Liner 7V Heated Glove Liners – Unlike other glove liners, these are insulated and provide more warmth. The heating elements extend the length of each finger on both sides hands as well as the back of the hand and the palm area. The slim design of the Heated Glove Liners by Volt make it a must have addition to your favorite pair of gloves. Heated by powerful 7 Volt rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries these gloves are also a perfect solution to those mild winter days when insulated gloves aren’t needed. The tech touch fingertip allows you to use your touch screen device without having to remove the glove.

6. Manzella Power Stretch Touchtip Uniform Gloves for Men – Run glove with warmth and function for use with touch screen technology. TouchTip on index finger and thumb are touch screen technology-compatible.
“If you live in an area that has winter, proper shooting gloves are a must. These are light weight, made of great material, and of course work with touch screen devices!” –Robert Caplin

7. Artisan & Artist Leather Camera Case for Leica – ARTISAN&ARTIST products are made by Japanese artisans, who are specialists that perpetuate a unique tradition and use the best quality materials, which they cut, work, and sew by hand. Every single object becomes a masterpiece of handcrafted art that is recognized and loved not only in Japan but also around the world.
“I’m a Leica shooter and this company makes beautifully crafted leather cases for all your Leicas. They’re a bit pricy, but worth it not only for the looks and protection, but also extra grip it provides.” –Robert Caplin

8. Hydro Flask bottle – Keeping your fluid intake on the upside is easy when you’ve got this portable travel buddy. Whether you’re headed to the gym or a quick jaunt across town, you can easily take your refreshment with you.
“Can’t stress how these bottles get me through most of my shoots. Run and gun, hydration required!” –Chuy Gutierrez

Professional / Websites

1. Shoot From The Pit Photo Workshops – “This one is a bit self-indulgent, but experience-based photo workshops give you the chance to live out your wildest dreams while bringing your photography skills to new heights. “Shoot From The Pit” is the first to offer an extensive live photography workshop where the attendees get to shoot a real concert. Hosted by Canon Explorer of Light and tour photographer David Bergman (that’s me!), attendees learn everything from the basics of photographic exposure and composition, to the “tricks of the trade” and business skills that I have used during my 25+ years on the road with some of the biggest rock bands in the world. There are single day and multi-day events offered throughout the year with more to be announced soon.” –David Bergman

2. Later – Founded as the first-to-market Instagram scheduler in 2014, Later (formerly Latergramme) has grown from a simple Instagram tool to the #1 visual marketing platform for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Later helps streamline your social media strategy so you can set yourself up for more sales and success. Their features focus on visual scheduling, media management, marketing and analytics.
“My social media scheduling savior.” –Vanessa Joy

3. AdoramaPix – AdoramaPix has been serving the needs of the photographic community for over a decade. Well known for the superior quality of their prints and their excellent customer service, they have become the lab of choice for professional photographers and savvy consumers all over the country.
“Whether for our ongoing family albums, framed and matted prints for a gallery exhibition, metal prints, or just a stack of 4x6ers to fill frames, AdoramaPix has great prices and quality to match.” –Robert Caplin

4. Diversify Photo – Diversify was born out of a recognition that calling for more diversity in the photo industry is not enough. To diversify photo, we need to equip Art Buyers, Creative Directors, and Photo Directors with resources to discover photographers of color available for assignments and commissions.
“Print collections are investments well spent and Diversify is having a great print sale this holiday season. Diversity in photojournalism has been a big subject this year and if we’d like to see more of it, let’s support!” –Nicole Craine

5. CPS Membership – Canon Professional Services (CPS) provides exceptional support for full-time imaging professionals. CPS members receive exclusive 24/7 phone and e-mail support, expedited and discounted equipment maintenance and repairs, Equipment Evaluation Loans, on-site support at select events and shows, discounts on Canon Live Learning seminars and workshops, and more.
“If you’re a Canon user, this is a no-brainer. With expedited repairs, evaluation loans, support at big events and more, you should simply add this to your cost of doing business. It’ll pay off!” –Robert Caplin

The post Photo Brigade Holiday Photo Gift Guide 2018 appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

Clown Motel.

Those two words that made nearly everyone’s head turn in horror when asked what my favorite part of driving through small-town Nevada was last week.

In the tiny, but lovely mining town of Tonopah, Nevada—about an hour east of the California border—the colorful Clown Motel sign welcomes you with a giant, grinning face. Inside the lobby, about 1,000 clown figurines of all shapes and creepiness greet people from all over the world.

“I love seeing different people from all over the world coming here,” says Marie Bruhn, office manager at motel. She has worked there for 12 years. “There was even a woman from Australia who came to visit the U.S. just to stay here.”

The motel is located right next to the town’s original cemetery and had numerous horror films shot on location due to the clown factor. Rooms have a cartoon-y clown on the door and clown painting inside. I opted, inside, to stay at the historic Mizpah Hotel from 1907 down the street. There were nickel slots in the lobby and no clowns…

Driving through the desert was a longtime goal of mine and it was fantastic. I didn’t hit a traffic light for almost three days after I left California and didn’t see many people on the trip either.

Near Death Valley National Park, a community of travelers came together in front of a fire at the Amargosa Opera House that was converted into a hotel. We shared stories of our lives back home and conversed as equal humans in the world and shared drink.

In 1967, Marta Becket, a dancer from New York City, was on vacation with her husband in Death Valley when the couple got a flat tire on their trailer. Becket fell in love with an old adobe and opened an opera house and theatre. The nearest sign of life outside of a cafe open on the weekends attached to the hotel, is a casino and saloon seven miles down the road. I

The desert is special. It’s a strange world of contemplative, simple life that allows one to really be in tune with the world. It’s a place to just be nothing in particular and that timeless idea should be more welcome in the world now.

Nic Coury is a photojournalist based in Monterey, Calif. He has had work published in Sports Illustrated, Cycle World and Bicycling magazines, and has shot commercial jobs for Specialized Bicycles, Ferrari and Bugatti. He also covers crime for a local newspaper. In his free time, he drinks too many espressos and wins mustache competitions.

The post Solitude and Contemplative Living in the Desert – By Nic Coury appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

BP Miller is an award winning photographer, photojournalist and speaker whose work has been published in both local and national publications like The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News, Rolling Stone & The New York Times. Subjects in front of his lens include local families and businesses, as well as national and international celebrities, politicians, and dignitaries. In addition, he is a board member of the Northern Short Course in Photojournalism and can be found speaking across the country about non-profit photography as well as photojournalists’ rights.

Anyone who has ever used a PC knows the fear of God that goes through you when a blue screen pops up and says “OH HEY…I know you’ve been thinking of backing me up for like…the last 10 years, but I’m tired and ready to go nite nite. So thanks for the years of memories you’ve uploaded to my brain, and don’t worry…when I go, your browsing history will also go with me.

Well, for photographers and photojournalists…there is actually something MORE terrifying than a BSOD. It’s THIS message: “Card cannot be accessed, reinsert/change card or format card with camera”.

Know what’s worse than that? Seeing it on three different cards after you shoot a major event.

The air is quickly sucked out of your lungs…your mind races…you can’t really see straight because all you can think is, “ohmagod….ohmagod….what the hell…ohmagod…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

It’s happened to all professional photographers at one point or another. We’ve all felt that moment of abject fear. It probably lasts all of a minute or two before you’re able to get up and go change your pants and start to work the problem.

BUT…in this day and age, you can help alleviate the possibility of this horrific event from happening by doing something SO simple.

Shoot to two cards.

Yes, most pro-level bodies come with two card slots anymore. Since I’m #TeamCanon, most will come with a CF and SD slot. Some of the higher end bodies have two CF slots AND a SD slot. Nikon/Sony has their XQD cards and Leica has 2 SD slots, etc.

So, once I got past the “WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL?!” stage, I remembered that I did indeed shoot to two cards during the event. Then I double checked with my second shooter (who lives an hour away) – and she had as well. So my Memorial Day was spent driving back and forth and collecting the images from the shoot. A much less severe penance than having to call the client and tell them we lost half their images from the day before.

But what if I hadn’t? What if SHE hadn’t? Sure, it’s in our contract that digital media has been known to fail from time to time, and we’re not liable if that happens, etc. but that’s not good enough for me. As a business owner, I have to try and cover all my bases for a client before I even take off out of the studio. That means shooting RAW images to two cards at once. Yes, it slows my shooting down a bit, but it beats the alternative.

After polling our other photographers, I found out only about half of them shoot to two cards. So that got me thinking. I did an informal poll of some of my photojournalist buds. The answers went anywhere from “It slows down my shooting” to “I’ve never had a card corrupt, so why mess with it” to “who are you, and how did you get my number?”

Truth is…it was probably about a 50/50 split of those who do and those who don’t.

While contracts protect us as well as the client, it does not take the human factor into play. How would you feel if you had paid someone handsomely to do headshots for your office, or an event for your family or friends? Would you be ok with the words, “well, it says in our contract blah blah blah?”

As it turns out, the Insignia reader I’d bought at Best Buy as a quick replacement until my new reader came in from Adorama had a bent pin. I never bothered to look at it before putting in a card. So in this case, it wasn’t the cards, but the reader that had caused their demise. Yes, I reformatted the cards…but they’re out of shooting circulation. Once a card corrupts or is damaged, it can’t be trusted again to keep the images safe.

Look, I can only tell you what’s worked for me over the years. I’ve always tried to go above and beyond for our clients, because that’s what I’d expect from anyone that I’d hire for something in my personal life.

If you’re newer to photography, just because you format your card, doesn’t mean the images are gone forever. Here are a couple of great software solutions you can use:

If you’re a PC User (such as myself) you can try Card Recovery. If you’re a MAC user, then I suggest Card Rescue. I’m not promising it works every time…but it’s ALWAYS worth a shot.

I get that some photogs don’t like having their shooting style lag because the cards write slower than their eyes work. I get that not everyone will shoot RAW to two cards. BUT, we can all agree that at the end of the day, we want to make sure we’re doing right not ONLY for our clients, but for our own mental wellbeing as well.

And since I’m a proud Philadelphian, I will leave you with this thought. The Eagles won the Super Bowl using a backup quarterback. Just sayin’.

We now return you to “I Need To Change My Pants” – already in progress.

The post Corruption In Photography – by BP Miller appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

BP Miller is an award winning photographer, photojournalist and speaker whose work has been published in both local and national publications like The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News, Rolling Stone & The New York Times. Subjects in front of his lens include local families and businesses, as well as national and international celebrities, politicians, and dignitaries. In addition, he is a board member of the Northern Short Course in Photojournalism and can be found speaking across the country about non-profit photography as well as photojournalists’ rights.

I’m a proud Gen-Xer. My generation was one of the first to have computer labs – anyone remember the TRS-80? I was one of the first kids on my block to have an Atari. I had a pager back in the day, and I, for SURE, had a bag phone in my car LONG before smartphones were a thought.

I embrace technology. I truly love what it can do for us.

BUT… lately, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend with clients. They’re texting me.

They’re texting at 6:45 in the morning.

They’re texting after 10 at night.

They’re texting me, and most of the time I have no idea WHO they are! They’re actually texting me so much that I had to change a setting on my phone for texts from unknown numbers be shifted to a separate folder… I honestly get less texts from robo-marketers, the main difference being I can allegedly “opt out” of those messages.

I try to lead a bit of an old fashioned life in the 21st century. Business hours are business hours. Yes, of course, in the life of a photojournalist… there are no business hours. But the texts I’m getting aren’t journalism related. I’m getting questions for event photography jobs we’re lined up for (and these are paraphrased to protect the innocent):

“Do you think this color will photograph well? My friend told me at dinner tonight it’ll make me look fat… I don’t want to look fat!”

“I know it’s late, but my friend had X happen to them with their photographer… you don’t do that… right?”

10:35pm the night before a shoot: “See you at 11?” (1 minute passes) “Why aren’t you answering me?”

I understand that in the Facebook world we all live in, there is a certain level of familiarity that society has come to embrace. I am really cool with it… but at the same time, a certain boundary has to be established.

First off, texting can be a quick and easy way to have a dialogue when time is of the essence, and in those cases, it really is an invaluable tool. But most of the time, these are not time sensitive questions. A question a year before an event that really has nothing to do with photography cannot be classified as time sensitive.

Secondly, if I get a text while I’m either in a meeting or on a location shoot… chances are I’ll forget about it until hours or sometimes days later.

Thirdly, we keep very thorough notes for all of our clients. If an exchange of any kind happens regarding an event… I like us to have a history on file just so we can internally track changes and make the appropriate course corrections on our end. I always encourage clients to email me with their questions or concerns. Not just for our paper trail, but for theirs as well. Phones messages are just as good for that. (Total transparency, I don’t do that as much or as often as I should.)

Lastly and most importantly…I love that our clients feel comfortable enough with us to communicate with us like we’re friends. But there also has to be a level of respect to personal time. We already work long and odd hours.

I’m not trying to discourage communication at all, please don’t get me wrong. But what I am asking is that people consider reversing the roles, and imagine how they’d feel if they’re home on a Sunday night, getting into some “Ray Donovan”, and they start getting texts from numbers they don’t know.

9:05pm:

“Hey, did you get that TPS report together for next year’s conference?”

9:45pm:

“Do you like coffee or tea when eating?”

10:13pm:

“I was thinking of changing my profile picture… what do you think?”

Hey, and if all else fails… try me on my pager.

The post Business Boundaries – Some Things Are Better Left Un-Texted – by BP Miller appeared first on The Photo Brigade.

For the last eight years or so I’ve photographed the Sailors and Marines taking part in Fleet Week, New York. This year I was lucky enough to hitch a ride out to the USS Arlington, one of several post-9/11 launched San Antonio class vessels.

Fleet Week is always an interesting affair — if selected you get flown out for a day or two, and are able to photograph the “Parade of Ships” as they enter New York harbor. Usually this means a couple of hours of folks standing at attention at the rails, pausing to salute as they pass specific landmarks like the Statue of Liberty or the World Trade Center. This year I wanted to put my Hasselblad X-Pan cameras to work —the formations of Marines and Sailors practically beg for panoramic shots. I also would have used my Widelux for wider images, but sadly it’s in for repairs and I had to make do with what I had.

I was tempted to shoot with slide film, but the ships usually come in during the middle of the day, and unless there’s good cloud cover you’ll get some really harsh shadows from the midday sun. Instead I stuck with Ilford HP5 and Kodak’s newly relaunched 3200 black and white film. Both worked like a charm, and since I do my own processing and scanning it allowed me to get my work up and ready immediately after filing my digital images.

The post Shooting Fleet Week New York in Panoramic – by C.S. Muncy appeared first on The Photo Brigade.