American photo 2013 07 08 by Eduardo Castañeda Winckelmann

JULY 12-14, 2013 Join the Mentor Series this summer as we light up New York City! Understand how luminosity can shape the mood and color of the photographs you create, as Nikon professional photographers Lucas Gilman and David Tejada assist you in finding the best angles, interpreting natural light sources, utilizing reflectors, and understanding how to control light to convey a desired atmosphere — all while capturing unique New York City images in both controlled and spontaneous shooting situations. Beautiful iconic Central Park will serve as the perfect venue to learn how to use natural light and consider light modifiers to enhance your portraits. Under the Brooklyn Bridge will provide us a shooting location from twilight to dark, as we throw light on our subject and allow the city skyline to shine in the background. We will also take to the streets in Times Square to create images that convey the hustle and bustle of “The Crossroads of the World” at night. The neon will illuminate your frame as you capture the dazzling fast-paced city nightlife unfolding in front of your lens. Visual inspiration here is endless and the chance to learn this most important skill from these industry leaders is invaluable. Their best advice and simple explanations, along with the photo ops afforded in the Big Apple, will clearly take your photography to the next level. Sign up today!

MONTANA

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

SEPTEMBER 13-18, 2013 Welcome to Glacier National Park, where an endless landscape of rugged peaks, pristine waters and untouched wildlife has been preserved for thousands of years. In September we return to the Big Sky Country of Montana to explore the scenic wonders of one of our nation’s most cherished national parks. Join Mentor Series and Nikon professional photographers Reed Hoffmann, Wolfgang Kaehler and Layne Kennedy to learn the ultimate photo tips and techniques for capturing all the beauty that Montana and Glacier National Park has to offer. Master the art of sunrise photography when you experience the ﬁrst colors of the day reﬂected in the waters of Two Medicine Lake. The “ah” moment will be that iconic shot of tiny Wild Goose Island on St. Mary Lake, a breathtaking scene at sunrise. We will travel along the Going-To-The-Sun Road, an engineering marvel completed in 1932. A key stop will be Logan Pass, sitting atop the Continental Divide which promises sightings of marmots, mountain goats and bighorn sheep. From here we’ll embark on a hike to Hidden Lake overlook. A visit to the Triple “D” Game Farm provides an opportunity to get up-close with a few of the animals in their native environment. Add on an afternoon at Flathead Lake Lodge, a classic dude ranch brimming with photos ops for cowboy/horse action. You will not want to miss the grandeur and beauty that Montana and Glacier National Park have to offer.

With additional support from: FOLLOW US ON Mentor Series Worldwide Treks

NYC SPEEDLIGHT WORKSHOP

COSTA RICA OCTOBER 1–6, 2013

FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS, the Mentor Series has taken photo enthusiasts to destinations across the country and around the world. With top Nikon professional photographers accompanying participants every day and teaching them how and what to shoot, there’s nothing like a Mentor Series trek. You and your photography will never be the same!

Beneath a canopy of clouds, the impressive Arenal Volcano stands in the distance and a verdant world of tropical forests, twisting canyons, and cascading waterfalls awaits. Join Nikon professional photographers Lucas Gilman and Reed Hoffmann to experience the beauty of Costa Rica and explore the beneﬁts of using video to tell a story using Nikon’s latest HD-SLRs. At Arenal Natura Ecological Park, we will turn our cameras to frogs, birds, reptiles, and other rare species to capture the array of brilliant colors present here. Press the “record” button to gather a world of sounds unique to this region. Consider your mentors’ best advice as they assist you in capturing the simple movements of graceful butterﬂies or representing the vibrant, yet peaceful ambience of the cloud forest. Secure your camera gear and sail above the treetops on a zipline, and navigate through the lush tropical forest on a series of hanging bridges. Practice the camera movement techniques you’re learning along the way as you record the action of a brave adventurist rappelling down a river canyon over brilliant waterfalls and into the tropical waters beyond. Learning basic HD editing techniques and the considerations to be taken when motion and sound are added to your travel journal will leave you prepared to narrate a richer, fuller story.

THAILAND

NOVEMBER 1–10, 2013 From the glint of golden temples to the flash of city lights and saffroncolored robes, focus your lens on the vibrant colors and iconic scenery of Thailand. Join the Mentor Series and Nikon professional photographers David Tejada and Reed Hoffmann as we travel to the majestic cities of Bangkok, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai. In Bangkok, we begin our tour with a visit to the Grand Palace, a complex of courtyards, gardens, and buildings adorned in gold leaf and colored glass, followed by a visit to the giant reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. Photograph local merchants selling fresh fruit, vegetables, and orchid blossoms from boats overflowing with produce in the crowded canals of the Floating Market at Damnoen Saduak. We continue on to Northern Thailand, where the kingdom borders Laos at the Mekong River, offering views of lush jungle, elephant farms, hill tribe villages, and tea plantations in Chiang Rai. Visit the northern city of Chiang Mai, with its characteristic teak and gold temples. Photograph hillside temples at sunset, visit a tiger sanctuary, and attend morning prayer sessions with local Buddhist monks. Spend an afternoon with the elephants as our mentors offer tips and techniques for capturing these impressive creatures up close. This year, with Mentor Series at your side, experience the exquisite natural beauty of Thailand!

Come on a Mentor Series trek and try out offers some of the latest equipment that including their high-performance HD-SLRs, NIKKOR lenses, the Nikon 1 System and a variety of COOLPIX compact digital cameras.

Special thanks to our premier sponsor: D600

D800

Drawing on the beauty of light

SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD

Meet the full-featured fast standard zoom you’ve been waiting for. The world’s first F/2.8 full-frame standard zoom lens with image stabilization. Explore the subtle aspects of beauty with Tamron’s all new, high-speed standard zoom that gives you top in class optical quality while featuring VC anti-shake mechanism, fast, accurate and quiet USD AF system with full-time manual focus, and rounded 9-blade diaphragm for beautiful bokeh. Di design for use with full-frame DSLR cameras for excellent format versatility.

(Model A007) For Canon, Nikon and Sony* DSLRs. *Sony mount does not include VC as stabilization is built into the Sony camera body.

www.tamron-usa.com

July/August 2013

Features 28 Almost Famous What happens when a photographer steps out from behind the lens and into the scenario with his celebrated subjects.

BY Michael lewis

36 The People’s Photographer Brandon Stanton may be the most famous street shooter working today. How did he turn his Humans of New York into a million-fan phenomenon? BY Michael Kaplan

44 Full Immersion When photographers go in deep, diving into places, cultures, and experiences far outside their own, the results can make a career. Here are three emerging pros whose big projects changed their lives. BY lori FredricKson

Cover: © Brandon Stanton. This page, from top: © Michael Lewis; © Brandon Stanton.

On the Cover For Humans of New York, Brandon Stanton not only photographs strangers, he speaks with them—and the quotes he runs with the images, like the one from this woman, are crucial to the project’s success.

This page, right, from top: Jessica Walter, photographed for Entertainment Weekly by Michael Lewis (2005); couple at the Jazz Age Festival on Governors Island in New York, by Brandon Stanton. Next page, from top: personal work by Travis Rathbone; a Mursi tribesman by Maynard Switzer.

JuLY/AuguST 2013 AMeriCANpHoToMAg.CoM 3

July/August 2013

Departments 8 EDITOR’S NOTE

Faces Everywhere Behind the scenes with portrait photographer patrick James Miller. By MiriaM Leuchter

Focus 11 ONE TO WATCH

The Alchemist Travis rathbone walks the cutting edge of design with his studio still lifes. By FrankLin MeLendez 16 WORk IN PROGRESS

River Runs Deep in ethiopia’s lower omo Valley, Maynard Switzer is capturing a culture in peril. By Jack crager 18 BOOkS

Ends of the Earth Sebastião Salgado’s environmental epic, James Houston’s fashion faces, and more. By Jack crager 22 ON THE WALL

Sexual Evolution eastman House explores gender, ed ruscha explores L.a., MoMa explores genres. By Lindsay coMstock 26 DIGITAL DOMAIN

Doc Watch Documentary ﬁlmmakers take on some major ﬁgures in photography. By Judith geLMan Myers

gear 55 HANDS ON

Beyond Manual The ﬁrst autofocus lenses from Carl Zeiss mount only on Fujiﬁlm and Sony iLCs. By stan horaczek

56 NEW STUFF

The Goods Hot new tools from Canon, Nikon, Wacom, and more.

With apS-C chips now in more compacts, serious shooters enjoy lots of choices. By PhiLiP ryan 66 PARTING SHOT

It’s a Man’s World photographer Jasper White opens a door on australian hobby sheds. By JiLL c. shoMer SubScriptionS: American Photo (ISSN 1046-8986) (USPS 526-930), July/August, Volume 24, No. 4. American Photo is published bimonthly (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec) by Bonnier Corporation, 2 Park Ave., New York, NY 10016. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10016 and at additional mailing ofces. Authorized periodicals postage by the Post Ofce Department, Ottawa, Canada, and for payment in cash. poStMAStEr: Send address changes to American Photo, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142; 386-246-0408; www.americanphotomag.com/cs. If the postal services alert us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. One-year subscription rate (six issues) for U.S. and possessions, $15; Canada, $25; and foreign, $35; cash orders only, payable in U.S. currency. Two years: U.S., $30; Canada, $50; and foreign, $70. Three years: U.S., $45; Canada, $75; and foreign, $105. CANADA POST: Publications Mail Agreement Number: 40612608. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: IMEX, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. For reprints e-mail reprints@bonniercorp.com.

4 aMeriCaNpHoToMag.CoM JuLY/auguST 2013

From top: © Travis rathbone; © Maynard Switzer

58 TECH TRENDS

Big Sensors, Small Cameras

MANFROTTO 290 CARBON FIBER SERIES Support your passion for photography!

MT294C3

MK294C3-A0RC2

MK294C3-D3RC2

Easy to carry without any sacriﬁce in camera stability.

Durable leg locks are built for heavy-duty use without any reduction in strength or performance over time.

Provides optimum support for your camera and helps you get great results in every situation.

Enjoy the Photowalker’s Guide experience on manfrottoschoolofxcellence.com manfrotto.us info@manfrotto.us

5 - A X I S I M A G E S TA B I L I Z AT I O N .

ZOOM IN W I T H O U T F L I P P I N G O U T.

Shots taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

HE WORLD’S FIRST* 5-AXIS IMAGE STABILIZATION SYSTEM FOUND IN THE OM-D E-M5. A camera solely designed to create images as stunning as its design. The 5-Axis image stabilization system compensates for vertical, horizontal and rotational

camera shake, ensuring stable shooting with any lens at any focal length. The E-M5 also features an electronic viewﬁnder, 9 fps HighSpeed Sequential Shooting, a 16-megapixel Live MOS Image Sensor and an array of lenses. And it all ﬁts snugly into a light yet durable body that can withstand rain, sand and dust. getolympus.com/omd

*As of February 2012. Among interchangeable lens cameras.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MIRIAM LEUCHTER FEATURES EDITOR Debbie Grossman TECHNICAL EDITOR Philip Ryan MANAGING EDITOR Jill C. Shomer PHOTO EDITOR Amy Berkley ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Linzee Lichtman DESIGNER : Wesley Fulghum COPY EDITOR Meg Ryan Heery FACT CHECKER Rebecca Geiger ONLINE EDITORS Dan Bracaglia, Stan Horaczek SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jack Crager CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Aimee Baldridge, Lori Frederickson. Michael Kaplan CREATIVE DIRECTOR SAM SYED

BONNIER’S TECHNOLOGY GROUP

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT ERIC ZINCZENKO ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER ANTHONY M. RUOTOLO (212-779-5481) CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Elizabeth Burnham Murphy VP, INTEGRATED CORPORATE SALES & MARKETING John Driscoll ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, MARKETING Michael Gallic FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Tara Bisciello NORTHEAST ADVERTISING OFFICE David Ginsberg, Mark Huggins PHOTO MANAGER Sara Schiano Flynn AD ASSISTANT Amanda Smyth MIDWEST MANAGERS Doug Leipprandt, Carl Benson AD ASSISTANTS Katy Marinaro, Kelsie Phillippo WEST COAST ACCOUNT MANAGER Bob Meth AD ASSISTANT Sam Miller-Christiansen DETROIT MANAGERS Edward A. Bartley, Jef Roberge AD ASSISTANT Diane Pahl CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SALES Ross Cunningham, Shawn Lindeman, Frank McCafrey, Chip Parham ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Irene Reyes Coles ADVERTISING DIRECTOR, DIGITAL Alexis Costa DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Rochelle Rodriguez DIGITAL CAMPAIGN MANAGERS Ed Liriano, Wilber Perez DIGITAL MANAGER Elizabeth Besada SENIOR DIGITAL COORDINATORS Maureen O'Donoghue, Stephanie Hipp DIGITAL PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR Linda Gomez GROUP SALES DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Alex Garcia SENIOR SALES DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Amanda Gastelum SALES DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS Anna Armienti, Kate Gregory, Perkins Lyne, Kelly Martin MARKETING DESIGN DIRECTORS Jonathan Berger, Ingrid Reslmaier MARKETING DESIGNER Lori Christiansen ONLINE PRODUCER Steve Gianaca GROUP EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR Beth Hetrick EVENTS DIRECTOR Michelle Cast EVENTS MANAGERS Erica Johnson, Benny Migliorino EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS MANAGER Eshonda Caraway-Evans CONSUMER MARKETING DIRECTOR Bob Cohn SINGLE-COPY SALES DIRECTOR Vicki Weston PUBLICITY MANAGER Caroline Andoscia (caroline@andoscia.com) HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR Kim Putman GROUP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jef Cassell PRODUCTION MANAGER Patti Hall

5-Axis Image Stabilization: Compensates for vertical, horizontal and rotational camera shake, allowing

CHAIRMAN Jonas Bonnier CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dave Freygang EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Eric Zinczenko CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER David Ritchie CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Randall Koubek CHIEF BRAND DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Sean Holzman VICE PRESIDENT, CONSUMER MARKETING Bruce Miller VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION Lisa Earlywine VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Dean Turcol GENERAL COUNSEL Jeremy Thompson

for hand-held teleshooting with a super-tele lens such as the 75-300mm II f4.8-6.7 lens. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT BONNIERCORP.COM

This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources.

For Customer Service and Subscription questions, such as Renewals, Address Changes, Email Preferences, Billing and Account Status, go to: americanphotomag.com/cs You can also call 386-246-0408 or write to American Photo, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235

8 americanphotomag.com July/august 2013

editor’s note

Faces

Everywhere auling a bulging garment bag and wearing what i hoped was enough makeup but feared was too much, i arrived at the tribeca studio that patrick James miller was using for our portrait shoot late, overheated, and nervous. i’m not used to posing for a camera. But my art department colleagues and i had decided i was long overdue for a new headshot for this column, and i wanted an excuse to go behind the scenes with this up-and-coming pro whose work i admire. so here i was, as ready as i’d ever be. miller started out as a painter and graphic designer, but a college summer-abroad program in grenada, spain, opened his eyes to another talent—he came back with 40 rolls of film and a passion for photography. “it felt natural,” he recalls. “i wanted to learn all about it.” that was a decade ago. Back at uc–santa Barbara, he studied with photographer richard ross and assisted Brad swonetz, a busy southern california pro; more assisting gigs followed. (he interviewed another mentor and former boss, misha gravenor, for our april 2013 American Photo on Campus; find it at americanphotomag.com/miller-mentor.) he moved to new york nearly three years ago, and he’s been shooting editorial and commercial portraits pretty much nonstop since then. most of the time miller shoots on location, often with no idea what that location will look like until he sees it. he finds that challenge—in fact, most photographic challenges—exciting. recounting the time he had less than two hours’ notice to photograph robert Deniro and Bradley cooper, and only a few minutes with each of them, he relives the adrenaline rush. But, he adds, “every job always brings some element of adventure.” Why portraits? “people fascinate me,” miller

Left: Miriam Leuchter on the photo studio set, by Patrick James Miller; right: the photographer’s selfportrait.

says. “meeting interesting people and seeing how they live—learning their stories and what they think about—i feel very fortunate to get to do this for work.” he’s not alone. as we were putting together all of the stories in this issue of the magazine, i saw a distinct trend emerge: you’re holding a portrait issue. From humans of new york creator Brandon stanton to celebrity shooter michael lewis to the three emerging pros who found their calling in projects that took them deep into other cultures, all of our featured photographers this summer train their cameras on people and their environments. even in the departments, portraits predominate. Back at the studio, miller put me under a trio of lights, including a 6-foot softbox. (indeed, his way with light was one reason i wanted to work with him.) he immediately put me at ease—as he told me later, more important than the lighting “is to have that connection with the subject and get their trust in you and what you’re trying to accomplish.” you can see just how much fun i had on the shoot in the photograph on the opposite page. as for my new headshot, we’ll unveil it in this space in the next issue of the magazine.

MiriaM Leuchter, editor-in-chief

July/august 2013 americanphotomag.com 9

THE BEST WAY TO GET YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE PREPAY FOR 1 YEAR

Create your own professional web presence!

SAVE UP TO

$ 120

Ad 1&1 Web Apps with one click to make your website interactive.

ﬁrst year*

STARTING AT $ 6.99 PER MONTH

High-quality customizable designs Choose from hundreds of professional designs – create a business website that stands out from the crowd.

Get found online Attract more visitors on search engines and engage customers with social media.

Quick and easy Edit content, text and images. Make changes online at any time.

.com domain included for free

1-877-461-2631 or buy online 1and1.com * 1&1 MyWebsite has a 30 day money-back guarantee with monthly or prepaid annual billing cycles. Customers can cancel their MyWebsite package within the ﬁrst 30 days to receive a full refund. 1&1 and the 1&1 logo are trademarks of 1&1 Internet, all other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2013 1&1 Internet. All rights reserved.

the people behind the pics Work in Progress 16 Books 18 on the Wall 22 digital domain 26

one to Watch

the alchemist With an eye for cutting-edge treatments, Travis Rathbone rethinks the art of the still life till-life photographer Travis Rathbone has established a signature style by redeﬁning the limits of objects. His visual experiments push commonplace items into new realms: submerged in foreign substances, frozen in motion, exploded into larger-than-life compositions. The 28-year-old New York City transplant, already in demand only a few years into his career, has little time to reboot and refresh between projects. After two weeks of intense shooting in San Francisco for client Jawbone through the agency fuseproject, he’s just gotten off a red-eye

above: one of travis Rathbone’s stylistic mash-ups, shot for 944 Magazine in 2008.

By Franklin Melendez

back to the East Coast, the latest leg of a studio marathon with barely a breather in sight. “It’s been a crazy two years,” Rathbone says, “but I won’t complain about it.” Then again, it’s this type of all-consuming focus —verging on hubris—that prompted the California native to strike out on his own and start an independent studio at the ripe age of 21. “I was working at a digital imaging lab, but promoting my own work as much as possible,” Rathbone recalls. Another photographer had backed out of “a tiny JulY/AuguST 2013 AmERICANpHoTomAg.Com 11

one to Watch

still-life shoot last-minute, and I was asked to ﬁll in. So I called in sick to work. I shot the image; they liked it and shortly thereafter offered me another two-week project. Without much more planning, I stupidly went back to my boss at the lab and quit on the spot.” But Rathbone did have a few aces up his sleeve. After graduating from Santa Barbara’s Brooks Institute in 2006, the young lensman sharpened

his vision assisting established names including David laChapelle in los Angeles and Craig Cutler in New York. “one of the few things I asked for with early jobs was to use the studio facilities on the weekends if they weren’t booked,” he says. “I really took advantage of that. I shot and shot and shot. looking back, my work wasn’t great but it was getting better. And I would show it to anyone who would look.”

12 AmERICANpHoTomAg.Com JulY/AuguST 2013

a surrealistic shot from travis Rathbone’s personal work, 2010.

IT’S AMAZING WHAT COMES OUT IN THE DARK. See it all with the EOS 5D Mark III. Equipped with our most innovative low light system to date, including an extended ISO range of 100 –25600, and of course, Full HD video. See the light at usa.canon.com/eos. Long Live Imagination.

close-Up

travis rathbone

From top: Rathbone made this cosmetics diptych as part of a personal-work project in 2012; personal work, 2007.

14 AmERICANpHoTomAg.Com JulY/AuguST 2013

travisrathbone.com Lives In New York City Studied At Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, CA Awards SPD merit awards for Field & Stream and Money Clients Include Adidas, Barnes & Noble, BBDO, Field & Stream, Men’s Journal, Glamour, New York, Popular Photography, Prevention, Victoria’s Secret In the Bag Hasselblad 503CW and H series: “They are workhorse cameras that have been put to the test for years,” he says. “I also use the Mamiya Leaf Aptus-II 12 80MP digital back.” New Tool “Something that saves hours of time in post is software called Helicon Focus, which puts focus planes together and saves a retoucher from having to do it.”

The diligence eventually paid off. Rathbone cites as one big break a January 2012 cover for Money magazine. “You don’t see a lot of still lifes on national covers anymore,” he says. “I always wondered if that was something I would ever get to do.” Sixteen cover shoots in 2012 alone settles that question. Rathbone’s ever-growing roster of clients includes Glamour and New York magazines and macy’s, Adidas, and Victoria’s Secret. Behind his success lies a novel approach. Rathbone transforms his studio into a testing laboratory where he can explore materials with the assiduity of a sculptor. “I love stuff,” he says, “but simply taking a beautiful picture is not that impressive. I’m always looking for different effects. I was at a dinner once, and we ordered some sort of fancy dessert, which was prepared tableside using liquid nitrogen for all of us to see. I left that dinner thinking, ‘What on earth can I do with liquid nitrogen?’” Rathbone took to the studio for a battery of tests on various substances; it culminated in a personal series of frozen makeup. “Since then magazines like Men’s Journal and Women’s Health have had me replicate the technique for different stories,” he says. Rathbone’s inquisitiveness remains a driving force. “one of my art directors brought this weird chemical to my attention,” he says. “It’s a hydrophobic substance and I just saw a bunch of YouTube videos of what it can do. It wasn’t particularly beautiful, but it was unique. There must be something I can do with this.” aP

The moment when you no longer take pictures, you make them. This is the moment we work for.

// FREEDOM MADE BY ZEISS

Carl Zeiss SLR lenses Set yourself free. Free of the performance limitations of other lens systems. Free of trade-offs between sharpness and harmonious bokeh. Free of inconsistent build quality, unnecessary flare and mechanisms that focus â&#x20AC;&#x153;precisely enough.â&#x20AC;? Get to know the outstanding uniform characteristics of the manual focus ZE and ZF.2 lenses and get back to making images that matter.

www.zeiss.com/photo/freedom

WoRk in pRogRess

River Runs Deep In eastern Africa, Maynard Switzer discovers a clash of cultures—and a serious threat to one of them fter apprenticing with the legendary richard Avedon, maynard switzer set up shop as a commercial photographer. “i was shooting fashion and beauty,” he says, “but i always found myself, if we went to shoot someplace, more interested in the culture of the people than anything else.” switzer was also an avid bicyclist, and in the late ’90s he had a cycling accident that resulted in a serious head injury. “that sort of kept me out of the studio,” he recalls, “because my doctors suggested that i not work around ﬂashing lights for a year. so due to a combination of things—good and bad—that was it. i called my agent and said, ‘no more fashion; no more beauty.’” in 1999 switzer followed his muse to take up travel and documentary photography, using natural light to shoot beauty of a different sort throughout the world—from central Asia to china, from cuba to Africa. though he divides his time between new york city and toronto, he’s often on the road—and

16 July/August 2013 AmericAnphotomAg.com

Above: In one of Maynard Switzer’s images from the village of Kayna in the lower Omo Valley, members of the Hamer tribe perform a dance called Evangadi as part of the bull-jumping ritual that welcomes a boy into manhood.

By JACK CRAGER

especially drawn to cultures whose way of life is on the brink of extinction. “A lot of these places are disappearing around the world, quite fast,” he says. switzer discovered one such vanishing culture in 2012 while doing research before a trip to ethiopia, which is split and fed by the mighty omo river. “in the lower omo Valley, the ethiopian government is building a giant dam called the gibe iii and forcing all these tribes in that area off their land,” switzer says. “they’re leasing out huge tracts of land to companies—malaysian, indian, italian, Korean—for massive farms to grow cash crops such as palm oil and cotton. these need a tremendous amount of irrigation, so they want to dam up the omo river. And for the ethiopian tribes who live there—more than 200,000 people—the river is their life source: the natives rely on it to ﬂood every year so they can grow their own food and feed their cattle.” Further, switzer learned, many of these tribes have called this land home for centuries. According

still, the tension between the tribes and government soldiers—and between rival tribes themselves—creates the need for safety precautions. “in some of the places we stay, we have to pay for a guy to guard our tent with an AK-47,” says switzer. “some of the tribes are a little bit more aggressive; it depends on where you go.” he also hires local guides to facilitate travels and communication. “i think portraits are much better if they show people in their environment, rather than, say, a set-up shot,” he says. “there should be something about who this person is and the way they live. i like to capture people doing their natural things, oblivious of me. so a guide will talk to them and explain.” switzer hopes to help tilt the geopolitical balance in the region: A public outcry has actually slowed the progress of the gibe iii dam’s construction. survival international reports that, although more than 50 percent of the dam has been built, several banks and governments have withdrawn funding in recent years. switzer says the region’s fate “is sort of in limbo right now. humanrights groups are screaming and yelling about this, too, so i don’t know what’s going to happen. But it means an enormous amount of money to the ethiopian government—they have to get the water to irrigate these lands. in doing it, they’re losing this tremendous culture of all these tribes. And once it’s gone, it’s gone.” AP

to survival international, a group that advocates for the rights of tribal people worldwide, the ethiopian government “has started to evict Bodi, Kwegu, and mursi people from their land into resettlement areas.” the organization reports beatings and jailings of people who have fought back and even rapes and killings by military patrols. such reports intensiﬁed switzer’s interest in the omo Valley. earlier this year, he spent a month documenting the region’s indigenous tribes, and he plans to return in october. “my goal is to capture a vanishing culture,” he says, “and to bring some light to what’s going to be lost if all this takes place. i think as you get into the politics, your work evolves into things that you might not have thought about.” yet most of switzer’s omo Valley portraits do not depict confrontations. “i’m not a war photographer,” he notes. “there are enough people who do that. i’ve been in some dicey situations, but i’m not looking to get my head blown off.”

Above left: A portrait of a woman and her child from the Dassanech tribe, in the village of Borkonech in the lower Omo Valley. She is wearing a headdress of sorghum branches and standing in front of her hut made of branches, tree bark, and pieces of tin. Above right: In the village of Hiloha, a Mursi tribesman and his children gather his cattle to take into the ﬁelds for grazing. For the Mursi, cattle both provide milk and serve as currency.

CLOSE-UP

Maynard Switzer maynardswitzer.com Lives In New York and Toronto Studied At Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA Mentors Guy Bourdin, Richard Avedon: “From Avedon I learned how important movement is to an image and having a close rapport with whomever you work with.” Clients Include Afar, National Geographic Traveler, Geo; Nikon World In the Bag Two Nikon D800 bodies; Nikkor lenses (15mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm) and zooms (14–24mm, 24–70mm, 70–200mm); MacBook Air with two solid-state external drives; Nikon Speedlight SB-700 and SB-800 ﬂashes. “Available light is my favorite,” Switzer says, “but there are times I use ﬂash and try to make it blend with the natural light. I don’t often use a tripod because I move around a lot. This I think comes from shooting fashion: I like to have people moving and you have to be able to move with them.”

July/August 2013 AmericAnphotomAg.com 17

BOOKS

Ends of the Earth Genesis By Sebastião Salgado Nazraeli Taschen $70 Widely hailed as a master photographer, Salgado has also been criticized for aestheticizing human suffering in his many ﬁnely wrought images of starving refugees, manmade disasters, and the like. In Genesis, though, his painterly style addresses more sublime scenery: pristine corners of the world that are virtually untouched by modernity. “I wanted to examine how humanity and nature have long coexisted in what we now call ecological balance,” Salgado writes in his foreword. Culminating an eight-year global exploration, this book is what Salgado terms “a visual ode to the majesty and fragility of Earth.” But, he adds, “it is also a warning of all that we risk losing.” Much of the survey focuses on landscapes and wildlife rather than humans. It ranges from ice18 aMErICanphotoMag.CoM july/auguSt 2013

Top: “Southern right whale, Patagonia, Argentina,” 2004, from the “Planet South” section of Salgado’s Genesis.

By Jack crager

bergs and penguins in antarctica to volcanos and caribou in the arctic, from wind-sculpted african deserts to dense foliage in amazon rain forests. Viewers may recognize many shots—of wildebeests and zebras, sea lions and whales—that Salgado has published and shown. yet behind this 520-page tome is a grand ambition: to cover the remaining natural Earth comprehensively, much of it from the air. the human cultures we do see retain ancient ways of life. In isolated lands like new guinea, Salgado documents indigenous tribes in ritual ceremonies, hunter-gatherer lifestyles, and minimal attire. In the arctic, he follows hardy sledders herding reindeer on the frozen tundra. “I wanted to capture a vanishing world, a part of humanity that is on the verge of disappearing,” he explains, “yet in many ways still lives in harmony with nature.” and he succeeds, in glorious black and white.

Sebastião Salgado’s black-and-white survey of a world before modernity leaves it behind

At Canon, we see image-making as a personal endeavor surrounded by a vibrant, supportive community. We’re here to help you develop your skills, build your network and fuel your inspiration.

SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS: With Canon Live Learning, receive top-level instruction, gain technical knowledge and check out the latest EOS gear ﬁrst hand. Our intimate seminars and workshops are held in a number of locations across the country. Visit us online for fees, dates and locations.

CANON AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: The Canon Digital Learning Center is a free online resource for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Instructional content includes tutorials, downloadable guides and interviews with the pros.

BOOKS

natural Beauty

ametsuchi: PhotoGraPhs By rinko kaWauchi

Aperture $80 a fine-art photographer whose work often explores the minutiae of everyday life, Kawauchi broadens her canvas here; the title Ametsuchi is a japanesecharacter amalgam of “heaven and earth.” Many of her landscapes depict zigzagging fire patterns— from yakihata farming, a traditional controlledburn method—that are more deliberate than they seem. Some shots depict tiny human figures dwarfed by vast natural backdrops. other images show distant constellations, Buddhist rituals, cavernous mountain lakes, symmetrical and amorphous patterns found in nature—all indicating a search for order and beauty in a chaotic, mysterious world. Clockwise from top left: A study in color from James Houston’s Natural Beauty; Nicholas Alan Cope’s “Culver City, August, 2009”; a shot of a controlled burn made during yakihata farming, by Rinko Kawauchi.

20 aMErICanphotoMag.CoM july/auguSt 2013

WhiteWash

By Nicholas Alan Cope powerHouse $65 Cope’s study of los angeles architecture zeroes in on the stark geometric patterns of the city’s modernist structures. Marshaling intense SoCal sunlight and hypercontrast black and white, he turns the buildings’ bold lines and shapes into otherworldly art—as sterile and devoid of human life as architectural models. “this is a sort of idealized survey of the city,” he notes. “Whitewash is los angeles at its most stripped down and honest.” Clockwise from top left: © james houston, © 2013 nicholas alan Cope, © 2013 rinko Kawauchi

By James Houston Damani $50 In this project commercial photographer houston combines two abiding interests: gorgeous people and the environment. Drawing on his rolodex, the beauty and fashion shooter depicts models and celebrities including Emma Watson, Christy turlington, adrian grenier, and Elle Macpherson. to raise awareness and funds for environmental issues, he will donate proceeds to global green uSa. his images blend radiant skin tones with surprising backdrops and bursts of color—some more naturalistic than others.

on the wall

Sexual Evolution the Gender show George Eastman House, Rochester, NY, June 8 – Sept. 29 eastmanhouse.org

as gender roles have evolved over time, the way we think of male, female, and androgynous characteristics has also been transformed. this group exhibition (which includes this magazine’s features editor, Debbie grossman) traces the changing portrayal of gender identities in photography, from traditional depictions to subversive expressions of rebellion. With 130 photographs spanning more 22 americanphotomag.com JULy/aUgUSt 2013

“Gingham Dress with Apple,” circa 2003, by British photographer Cig Harvey, from The Gender Show at George Eastman House.

By Lindsay ComstoCk

than 170 years, the show features work by legends— including Julia margaret cameron, edward Steichen, richard avedon, robert Frank, andy Warhol, and cindy Sherman—who have been pivotal in advancing the art of portraiture. the collection reﬂects not only evolving aesthetics but also the ever-changing cultural landscape. and it depicts many famous faces—such as Sarah Bernhardt, marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks, Joan crawford, greta garbo, marilyn monroe, and paul newman—making for one sexy survey.

A visual survey of gender studies shows how the paradigms are a-changing

STAYING STILL IS NO LONGER AN OPTION. GO HYBRID WITH THE LUMIX GH3.

“I’m getting so many new clients since I started shooting Hybrid products with my Lumix.” - Suzette Allen Hybrid Professional Photographer

No longer satisﬁed with just “pictures,” your clients expect content that includes a mixture of stills, video and audio. The Lumix GH3 gets you in on the burgeoning Hybrid market with simple creative controls that make it easy to switch from stills to video on the ﬂy. Advanced AF tracking and pro-level rack focusing let you easily follow the action while stunning HD video with built-in recording options delivers the professional results you demand. See what Hybrid can do for you — watch the video: www.panasonic.com/hybrid

Get your career in motion with Lumix G — the ultimate in Hybrid photography.

F XL: 19 new aCquisitions in PhotoGraPhy Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, through Jan. 6, 2014 moma.org

in an industry of constant reinvention and technological innovation, photographers continually vie to see and to freeze moments in a way that no one has attempted before. in that spirit, this group exhibition explores some of the most novel concepts in photography today. the sprawling show ﬁlls ﬁve galleries in the museum and features photographs by 19 contemporary artists. primarily multifaceted or serial works, the imagery spans generations, cultures, media, and genres, from darkroom experiments such as photograms and photomontages to political commentary on labor history and globalization. among the artists are familiar american pioneers—robert Frank, Stephen Shore, taryn Simon—and a multinational cadre of conceptualists, including ˘ Koláeová, ˘ yto Barrada, Birgit Jürgenssen, Bela and oscar muñoz. comprising recent moma acquisitions not previously displayed at the museum, this exhibition spotlights the burgeoning role of photography in contemporary art.

Also Showing

ed rusCha

J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA, through Sept. 29 getty.edu

the work of interdisciplinary artist ed ruscha conjures the time of Mad Men in the city of angels. ruscha epitomizes the pop art movement in his paintings, drawings, and films; he has also created highly graphic photo series and large-format art books (16 of them, made between 1963 and 1978) that are influential in their own right. his pictures study commonplace relics of the L.a. cityscape—apartment buildings, gas stations, a strip of the pacific coast highway—with a combination of humor and bold simplicity, transforming seemingly prosaic imagery into a distinctive style, a signature of mid-century american photography.

International Center of Photography, New York, NY, through Sept. 8 icp.org This triennial highlights the work of 28 artists whose creative intent mirrors current international economic, political, and social activity: in a state of ﬂux. With an emphasis on digital image-making and online social networking, the exhibition features not only photography but also ﬁlm, video, and interactive media.

dawoud Bey Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, North Miami, FL, through Sept. 8 mocanomi.org Chicago-based photographer Bey has devoted his portraiture and documentary work to exploring the lives of young people and marginalized members of society. This survey of the artist’s oeuvre includes his seminal series Harlem USA—a ﬁve-year study of the New York neighborhood and its characters—as well as other street photography and formal portraiture.

Common Ground: new american street Photography DRKRM, Los Angeles, CA, July 6–27 drkrm.com Featured here are five photographers whose eyes are fixed on the street: Richard Bram, who shoots in a classic style with his Leica rangefinder; Chuck Patch, whose black-and-white work centers on New Orleans; Bryan Formhals, who uses medium format and blogs about street photography; and Jack Simon and Andrew Blake, who flavor their images with comedic irony. What they share is an emphasis of found imagery over stylized creations.

Photogravure: master Prints from the Collection

Clockwise from top: Allan Sekula’s “Koreatown, Los Angeles” from the series Fish Story, Chapter One, April 1992, at MoMA; Lucas Foglia’s “Homeschooling Chalkboard, Tennessee,” 2008, at ICP; Ed Ruscha’s “Standard, Amarillo, Texas,” 1962, at the Getty Museum.

24 americanphotomag.com JULy/aUgUSt 2013

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, through Aug. 11 philamuseum.org This exhibition culls 55 prints from a period between the 1880s and 1910s, when the process of photogravure—a type of printmaking combining photography and engraving—was being honed by pictorialist photographers, as well as prints from the 1930s by such artists as Man Ray. It also includes prints by contemporary photographers, including Lorna Simpson, who have revived the vintage medium.

a different kind of order: the iCP triennial E

THE DIFFERENCE IS INSIDE

SAVE 15% through 9/1/2013 @ www.GetSeV.com/AMPHOTO some restrictions apply

DIGITAL DOMAIN

Doc Watch

Recent ﬁlms reveal the people and stories behind the greatest contemporary images By Judith Gelman myers

Photographers have often popped up as colorful protagonists in the movies, from Rear Window to Blow-Up to Apocalypse Now. More recent documentaries of real-life photo legends reveal the actual imagination and skill that go into capturing great pictures. For lessons in craft and courage, watch these now.

Directed by Ben Shapiro Zeitgeist Films $23 (DVD) When gregory crewdson’s marriage started to fall apart, he began to have dreams in which he was ﬂoating; these nighttime images prompted a series of overhead photographs shot from a crane. the son of a psychoanalyst, crewdson is attuned to the relationship between his art and his subconscious—a theme deftly explored by Ben shapiro in Brief Encounters. shapiro met crewdson while shooting a pBs documentary on his early work and became so enamored of the photographer’s m.o. that he followed him around for the next 10 years. What emerges is a portrait of a man committed to obsessive control over the exterior and utter surrender to the interior.

Above: Gregory Crewdson’s “Untitled (Ophelia),” is featured in the documentary Brief Encounters and is used in the poster art for the ﬁlm.

wHiCH way is tHe front line froM Here? tHe life and tiMe of tiM HetHerinGton Directed by Sebastian Junger HBO Documentary Films (available on HBO GO) image maker and humanitarian tim hetherington epitomized the role of concerned war photographer. “We forget the people imaged are individuals, with their own stories and individual lives,” he explains. as he revealed their ravaged lives with his rolleiflex during his 10 years in the field, hetherington got to know his liberian subjects’ stories so well that he even put down his camera to serve as their teacher and mentor. after he resumed shooting, he and author/director sebastian Junger spent a year in afghanistan with a platoon of american soldiers; their resulting film, Restrepo, was nominated for an academy award. six weeks after attending the oscar ceremonies, hetherington was killed by mortar fire in libya. Which Way is Junger’s deeply felt tribute to his documentary partner. 26 americanphotomag.com July/august 2013

How to Make a Book witH steidl Directed by Gereon Wetzel and Joerg Adolph Kino Lorber $23 (DVD) the title conjures images of printing presses, binderies, and vats of ink—but in this intriguing doc, steidl refers not to the publishing company but to the man. gerhard steidl is revealed through his relationships with the master photographers whose work he brings to the world. We see steidl quizzing robert Frank (in german) about his early days with alexey Brodovitch; forcing günter grass to perfect his hand-drawn cover art for the 50th anniversary of Tin Drum; debating ed ruscha over whether to compromise on On the Road (they didn’t). We even get a revealing demonstration of how Joel sternfeld used an illegal iphone app to get the forbidden shots used in his book iDubai.

tHe MexiCan suitCase Directed by Trisha Ziff 212Berlin Films $10 (available on Netﬂix and iTunes) artifacts beget questions: Who made them? What do they signify? once found, to whom do they rightfully belong? the artifacts in The Mexican Suitcase included some 4,500 negatives of the spanish civil War made by robert capa, David “chim” seymour, and gerda taro. thought to have disappeared, they’re now at the international center of photography, thanks in part to director trisha Ziff. But Ziff ventures beyond the story of the negatives’ journey to new york to explore their signiﬁcance as historical documents, especially for the men and women exiled during the war. in doing so, she addresses the contribution that a single photograph— let alone thousands—can make to the quest for knowledge and, through that, justice.

GreGory Crewdson: Brief enCounters

Sleeping Girl | CAMERA : SIGMA SD1 : ISO100, F5.6, 1/60sec | LENS: SIGMA 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM : 12mm | CopyrightÂŠ 2011 Paul Thacker

SIGMA LENS for DIGITAL NEW RELEASE

SIGMA

12-24

F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM

Widest ultra-wide angle zoom lens With the widest angle of view of all lenses available for full frame digital SLR cameras, this ultra-wide angle zoom lens has been reengineered with the latest optical design and technology including FLD and SLD glass. This results in excellent correction of color aberrations and ensures high image quality from the center to the edge of the image while HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) provides quiet and high speed autofocus.

www.sigmaphoto.com

SIGMA CORPORATION OF AMERICA 15 Fleetwood Court, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779, U.S.A. | Tel: (631) 585-1144 | Fax: (631) 585-1895 | www.sigmaphoto.com Follow us on Twitter.com/Sigma_Photo and Facebook.com/sigmacorporationofamerica USA 3 Year Service Protection

ÂŠ Michael Lewis

On the Job

ALMOST FAMOUS A celebrity photographer tells how he makes the shot, then gets in it. by MICHAEL LEWIS

July/August 2013 AmericAnphotomAg.com 29

Above and bottom right: Jonathan Goldsmith, aka The World’s Most Interesting Man, at Bar and Books, New York City, Cigar Aﬁcionado, 2010. Opposite and top right: Tina Fey at Roseland Ballroom, Esquire, 2004. Previous spread: Paul Rudd (right) with the photographer during a shoot for Entertainment Weekly, New York City, 2003.

30 AmericAnphotomAg.com July/August 2013

have mostly been oK with it. over the years i just started to quickly explain, “hey, i do this with all my shoots.” But i do feel very self-conscious, as if i’m wasting their time. i realize that they know it’s just for me, this thing i do, and they don’t mind. still, i cut it off after two or three shots out of respect for the person’s time. i don’t really know how other photographers deal with celebrities. i never really assisted anybody who did what i do. many of my subjects thank me because apparently i give a lot of direction. i walk them through the shoot. i’m very quick, too, even for the 15 minutes you typically get with a celebrity. But if they dig you, you can push that 15 minutes to

good portrait seduces the viewer. When i set up a photograph, i ask myself: “is the viewer going to buy it?” that window is real, light’s streaming through, it looks amazing—but of course i made it primarily because it was easier than ﬁnding it. you’re always making choices about how to control the environment, whether you’re on a set or not. it’s a challenge to reveal much about a subject in a single frame. it’s almost impossible, though, not to reveal something about yourself. portraits can tell you a lot about a photographer. When i started working commercially my subjects were mostly solos—until i jumped into the frame myself. the ﬁrst time i did that i was photographing David hasselhoff. it was actually my assistant, Brian Delaney, who said, “hey, you gotta get in this!” At that time i was pretty new to shooting celebrities, and hasselhoff took to the idea quite warmly. the proof sheet is very playful, with him resting his elbow on my head, that kind of thing. not long after that i just started stepping into these things without always telling people. i started doing it with all my shoots, celebrities or not. And people

On the Job

20. i just constantly push; i think every photographer must say “just one more” at least 100 times. But there’s a point where you realize you’ve bled the subject; they’re done. it’s got little to do with the number of frames you shoot. there’s this moment when i feel like the subject is saying, “Doesn’t this asshole have it yet? how many shots are you going to take here?” And i just sense them pulling back. i think every photographer must feel that moment. people have been pushing me toward integrating my jumping into the frame in my editorial portraits into my self-portraits, which are a longterm, personal project and actually the work i’m really proud of. in a way, the jumping-in pictures are at least as realistic as my mundane-looking self-portraits. the self-portraits are the most poignant; you really see a regular guy who was single for a very long time. they’re so ordinary, but he’s also alone. And it makes a very loud silence. i can see some similarity in tone between my self-portraits and my editorial photos, especially the ones where i put myself in the frame. But the intent of each is very different. the on-set photos are for fun; they’re like getting visual autographs. the self-portraits i consider a serious body of work, and i’m thinking they’ll stay separate, even though as my life has changed, i’ve included my partner and our son in them. Aesthetically, it’s all just me; i don’t know any other way. put it this way: i’m always amazed when you go into a coffee shop and they have bad coffee. or if you run a bakery and your cookies suck. that blows my mind. if this is what you do, you’d better do it with absolute dedication. so that’s how i think about my work. this is

32 AmericAnphotomAg.com July/August 2013

On the Job what i do, and i do it in a certain way, according to what i like and the ideas i developed all the way back in grad school (i studied fine art at the san Francisco Art institute). if you look at my selfportraits and my editorial portraits, they share a certain feeling. And over time they’ve changed. the photographs of Questlove and the World’s most interesting man are similar, but the latter i think are more relaxed, have a different kind of energy that i’ve acquired in recent years. styles come and go. i finally have been doing this long enough that i’m starting to see many cycle through again. like the crazy digital oversharpening—how photoshopped things look. that’s kind of come and gone. right now things are very bright, poppy. people don’t think of me when they think of that as much. you just have to do what you do well. there’s a part of me that idealistically wants to be authentic. But that’s also realistic: if you’re not authentic—wow, man, there’s a lot of talented people out there. so it’s good business to be authentic. And basically just be proud of your pictures. Bob Dylan wrote a few albums when he was younger—his whole career is stellar, but there was a stretch around 1965, ’66, when he made his most powerful albums in a very short period of time. And he was asked once, “Does it upset you to think that you’ll never be able to write Blonde on Blonde and Highway 61 Revisited again?” And he said something like, “Well, you can’t do something forever. i did it once; i can do other things now.” you can only do what feels true to you at the time. i tend not to shoot celebrities any differently than i do anyone else, and i think that can help build rapport and in the end get a good picture. early on in my career, when i was first in l.A., you were judged a lot (and still are) by who you’ve photographed, and i think i resisted that. the selfportraits helped me level the playing field, too, because i was photographing myself in ways that did not do me any favors. When i was doing online dating, girls would say, “hey, if you’re a photographer, you must have a website.” my mother was mortified at some of the pictures i had on there, especially the earlier ones. i would really let my belly just hang out. But i was very proud of these pictures. they helped me see just how much everybody is the same. Jack Black was one of my first shoots when i was new to l.A. i was working, but i was new. Jack Black was a pretty new guy, too. Beyond tenacious D he hadn’t done much yet. he came over to my apartment for a shoot for Detour magazine, which gave me great access to people and great photo spreads but had no money. so i always shot in my little one-bedroom apartment. i lived in Beechwood, below the hollywood sign, where there was This spread: Questlove (The Roots, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandleader) at Mama’s, NYC, for Blender, 2006.

July/August 2013 AmericAnphotomAg.com 33

a little stretch where you could pretend it was new york for like a microsecond. comedians can be dark people, and he was kind of pensive. At one point he was in the bathroom in his underwear, his gut’s hanging out—very much like the self-portraits i was doing at the time—not the most complimentary physically, but it was good, and it was funny. And i had a little kitten, who’s still with me to this day—he’s 13 now. And

Above: Lewis and Melissa McCarthy, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills during a shoot for the New York Times, April 2013.

34 AmericAnphotomAg.com July/August 2013

the kitten jumped on the counter while Jack Black was shaving. it made an awesome picture. later that night i got a call from his publicist, who was a powerful dude in hollywood. publicists are a huge thing in this industry. they are powerful people here, and magazines are somewhat at their mercy. they want the celebrity in the magazine, so they more or less conform to the image the publicist and his client are trying to project at any

On the Job

given time. he didn’t want that picture to run. i gave him my word that i wouldn’t run it. And he wasn’t happy with that. he wanted the negative. And i’m like, “Dude, i’m giving you my word”— i always stick with my word. then a couple days later Rolling Stone comes out: tenacious D on all fours wearing a diaper getting spanked with a guitar by Kyle gass (the other guy in tenacious D). i couldn’t believe it. cut to about eight years later, Jack Black’s on top of his game and i’m called in to shoot him for the cover of Entertainment Weekly. so i printed that photograph and brought it to the shoot. And they liked it a lot. everybody felt good that day. We all had stepped up in our careers. tina Fey was terriﬁc to work with. she was the ideal subject: smart, witty, totally into it. the whole shoot was very collaborative. she came up with

Below: Jack Black and Lewis at the Gramercy Hotel, during a shoot for Entertainment Weekly, 2003.

one shot where she’s writing in lipstick on the men’s room mirror. it meant a lot to her at the time. After 12 years in new york, we just moved back to l.A. about eight months ago—with a 15-monthold. so things have been different from when i was shooting Jack Black in my apartment. ironically, recently i’ve been shooting a lot for the New York Times. they put very good people in front of my camera. And they’re throwing me everybody. i’m proud of the editorial photos i make. it was always important to me that my art school buddies would look at my website and think, “man, lewis is still making totally cool fucking pictures.” i always wanted to kind of keep it cool. And it is an interesting thing for me, looking back, to still be photographing these portraits and realizing that no, i haven’t sold out. —As told to Meg Ryan Heery

July/August 2013 AmericAnphotomAg.com 35

Brandon Stanton’s mix of images, text, empathy, and social media has made him the most famous street photographer working today—and his Humans of New York a pop-culture phenomenon. By Michael kaplan t is a cool May afternoon in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Brandon Stanton, the street-photography phenomenon who in just two and a half years has amassed about a million followers (between Facebook and Tumblr) for his Humans of New York project, prowls a stretch of West 14th Street. Dressed in beat-up chinos and a gray thermal shirt, Canon EOS 5D Mark III (with a 50mm f/1.2 lens) clutched in his hand, he searches out subjects that the Bill Cunninghams of the world might pass by. Asked to describe his ideal subject, Stanton, 29, can’t articulate what he looks for. “I don’t have a pattern,” he says. “But if you could discover a pattern, it’s probably kids and old people”—with a bunch of other types in between.

36 AMErICANpHOTOMAg.COM JulY/AuguST 2013

Stanton estimates that he walks six miles per day and one mile per subject. His pace quickens when he spots three female African American chefs wearing toques and whites. He approaches them gently, collapses his lanky six-foot-four-inch frame, and morphs into an innocent New Yorker who’s looking for a quick exchange of positive energy and easy collaboration. Once they agree to be photographed, he subtly positions them on a stoop, crouches down, reels off a few shots. Next comes the critical task of getting a quote that will accompany the photo when it appears online. He begins with an obvious question: What’s the worst thing you ever saw happen in the kitchen? “A guy’s face caught on ﬁre.” Next comes the not-so-obvious follow-up. Stanton wonders whether they laughed. “We did,” one chef volunteers, “after he went to the hospital and we knew he was OK.” Since 2010, Stanton has posted some 5,000

The People’s

Photographer photos to his website. He’s appeared on the Today show and has a Humans of New York book coming out from St. Martin’s press in the fall. That publication is probably the least interesting and most traditional medium for Stanton’s work. With Humans of New York, he has done nothing less than create a fresh form of photography that capitalizes on the connective possibilities of social media. In doing so he may represent the future of photography itself. He is his own editor, curator, and publisher, and his audience is larger than any traditional medium could allow. Stanton’s wide-reaching success heralds a new era when what matters to the viewer is having a direct connection with the artist and his work. His audience doesn’t care about credentials or credits, or the fact that he only started shooting regularly a few years back. Thanks to his proliﬁc digital output, he’s quickly evolved into one of the world’s more popular photographers, corralling nearly three times the Facebook likes of, for instance, Annie leibovitz.

There’s never been a well-known photographer quite like Stanton, who has connected directly with his audience to create one of the most-viewed ongoing photo projects ever. To see the full captions for all these pictures, look for them on humansofnew york.com.

Among the schoolkids of gotham he maintains rock-star status—as evidenced by the dozen or so teenagers I see approaching him, including one boy in a red sweatshirt who shakily asks, “Can I hug you?” Stanton’s analog humanity in a world gone madly digital has clearly struck a nerve. Stanton’s daily quest to chronicle ﬁve or six interesting lives began as a hobby in 2010, when he was trading options in Chicago. The job became a grind and he unwound on the weekends by taking pictures downtown. After getting laid off, Stanton decided to focus on the single thing he loved doing: photographing interesting strangers on the street. The surprising but revelatory captions—such as one from a hookah-smoking fellow who declared, “Egypt is like a mango”—grew out of conversations with his subjects. His aha moment came after he posted an image of a green-haired woman dressed in green. “It wasn’t a great photo; the lighting wasn’t good and I botched the composition,” he recalls. “But she JulY/AuguST 2013 AMErICANpHOTOMAg.COM 37

Above: “That was Sunday in Harlem,” Stanton says. “She had just gotten out of church and I noticed symmetry in her colors and that mural. Surprisingly, she agreed to do it. The older the subject, the less you can move them around. The fact that she agreed to stand there for me was satisfying.”

38 AMErICANpHOTOMAg.COM JulY/AuguST 2013

million. I’m a hard-ass worker. I knew I could work harder than anyone else.” These days he routinely receives (and declines) corporate gigs, and offers for promotional deals roll in (he turned down Canon’s social-media arm because they wanted him to promote a camera he doesn’t use). He did one gratis deal for Facebook— the company Stanton says played a major role in HONY’s existence. “Facebook changed my life,” he explains, adding that discussing it actually makes him emotional. “Everything has been possible for HONY because social-media platforms showed an interest in this new art form and found an audience for it. HONY would have a hard time ﬂour-

said to me, ‘I used to be a different color every day. Then one day I tried green and it was a really good day. I’ve been green every day for 15 years.’ I put the photo up, added the caption, and it became the most popular photo I ever posted.” Quotes became integral, visits to the site increased dramatically, and Stanton’s conﬁdence lifted. “The ﬁrst thousand fans you gain by the quality of your work,” he says, adding that he went from zero to 3,000 in one year and 3,000 to 300,000 in the next. “You reach a point where people give you a chance because so many other people are following you. Once I started getting 10 or 15 new fans per day, I knew I’d go to a

The People’s Photographer

Right, from top: “I’m always trying to feature a person’s most interesting part. I want to show my audience something unique. This was that situation,” Stanton says. “That was one of my ﬁrst times shooting Fashion Week. Lincoln Center is a great white expanse without a lot of options. But around the corner was a grate that I thought could be a good backdrop. I took this early on, back when everything in New York looked interesting to me.” Of this basketball court scene, he says, “This is just a guy, hanging out with his friends, wearing a mask, on the Lower East Side. I asked him if I could take his picture. It’s an awesome shot, with the guys playing basketball behind him.”

JulY/AuguST 2013 AMErICANpHOTOMAg.COM 39

Clockwise from top left: “That was on Governors Island during the Jazz Age Festival,” Stanton recalls. “This was more of a scenery shot, where I found a location before I found my subjects. So many people were walking around in 1920s garb that I had a lot to choose from.” Of the man in a dress, he says, “I was on my way to the airport and my camera was in my bag when I noticed this drag queen performing in Chelsea. This sort of thing does not happen often. Usually people are standing or walking. When action is going on, I don’t ask ﬁrst. I just snap the picture. If you’re rolling around in the middle of the street, I don’t need to get permission.” “This lady is a known ﬁgure in the East Village. I asked her if I could get a photo. She said, ‘If you can get it without me having to stop walking.’”

ishing under search engine optimization, which helps you ﬁnd things you know you are looking for. Social media helps you ﬁnd things you didn’t know you were looking for.” Stubbornly independent, Stanton says that he has no problems with making money. But it has to be on his terms. He sold some prints to generate income and sold some more to help raise $250,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief. After DKNY used his images without permission, Stanton passed 40 AMErICANpHOTOMAg.COM JulY/AuguST 2013

“She has ﬂower tattoos, which I found to be an interesting detail. I was like, ‘Oh, cool legs. Can I take your picture?’ If you have something like that, you’re happy when people notice it.” “It was snowing one day and I went to Brooklyn to get blue-collar workers going about their jobs. Then I found that guy walking in the snow with hot dogs. I did not stay to eat one myself.” “That’s a mural in Alphabet City. I saw those four characters and thought it would make an awesome shot. They were skeptical at ﬁrst, but in the end they wound up holding hands.”

The People’s Photographer

JulY/AuguST 2013 AMErICANpHOTOMAg.COM 41

42 AMErICANpHOTOMAg.COM JulY/AuguST 2013

up the opportunity to sue or settle and received good-guy status for life by having the company make a $25,000 donation to the YMCA in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, where he works out every day. Stanton hopes that he’s creating his own genre of photography—he didn’t even know who Diane Arbus and garry Winogrand were before he started shooting. When he thinks about success, he thinks about spending half the year traveling to world capitals and photographing his Humans there. “I want the money to facilitate what I am doing; I don’t want what I am doing to facilitate the accumulation of money,” he says. “I have very little overhead, I love taking these pictures, and it’s what I would do if I had all the money in the world. So why do I need the money?” In Chelsea, Stanton spots an old man in a red windbreaker standing unsteadily next to a trafﬁc light. Stanton charms him into posing, then asks him to name his greatest struggle. “getting across this road is going to be pretty tough,” he says. That’s when Stanton lies down in the street and photographs the man making it to the other side. Stanton quickly ﬁnds his next subject: a bearded man holding a walking stick. After his shot, the photographer bounds back and reports, “He asked me if I wanted to hear the world’s greatest haiku.” Then Stanton adds something that encapsulates the small truths of Humans of New York. “It was solid. But all that mattered is that he thought it was the greatest.”ap

The People’s Photographer Clockwise from top left: “I shot this near Union Square on Halloween. I thought it was a really cool shot. I had never before seen a costume like it. It didn’t look store bought.” “That one was taken during Fashion Week. The three models in the background were posing for other photographers and I posed this girl in front of them. She was there with her parents. She may or may not have been a model, but everybody wants their kid to get noticed at Fashion Week.” “I was walking on the Upper East Side, and I saw a ﬁre on a rooftop. I snapped the photo of this guy, but life saving rope is what makes the picture.” “Generally, the grandparents on the Upper East Side are the coolest looking grandparents in the world. They’re super fashionable and I’ve photographed a ton of them.”

Humans of Other Places HONY is so popular, it’s no surpise that copycats around the globe have sprung up. Maybe Brandon Stanton makes it look too easy. Or else people fall in love with his efforts to convey a city’s character through portraits of its people and long to be a part of it any way they can. Whatever the case, his Humans of New York has inspired over a dozen other Humans sites, stretching from philadelphia to New Delhi to Melbourne. While Stanton is at best ambivalent about the copycats, he appreciates that his work has inspired them. “Artistically, I want to encourage everybody,” he says. “It’s against the spirit and ethos of this project to prevent people from doing what they like.” Stanton doesn’t endorse any of the other Humans sites and says he doesn’t look at them these days. Here are some of the more interesting imitators. Each of them has a Facebook following. portraits of Boston This series stays true to the HONY style with interviews and questions, and its photographer averages several posts a day. Souls of San Francisco The Souls site has a different name but a similar format, and it features close-up portraits more than environmentals. humans of Stuy This smaller group focuses on students at Manhattan’s Stuyvesant High School, where Stanton is beloved. humans of Tel aviv This spinoff shows off the Israeli city’s diversity and reality on the streets. humans of Tehran Open for submissions, this Humans site gives viewers a glimpse into the everyday lives of Iranians. With 14,266 likes, it emerged after Stanton traveled to Iran himself. Facebook is blocked there; Stanton has 25,000 Iranian fans anyway. JulY/AuguST 2013 AMErICANpHOTOMAg.COM 43

This page: Buckmaster, Rawlins, Wyoming (2011). Opposite: Gold Mine, Lead, South Dakota (2011); both by Bryan Schutmaat.

44 aMericanphotoMag.coM juLy/august 2013

Full Immersion

When a photographer plunges deep into a subject, the result can be a stunning, career-making body of work. We found three such projects by people whose names we think will soon become familiar. These shooters go above and beyond to show us worlds that, without these pictures, we would never have otherwise known. By LorI FredrIckson

Bryan Schutmaat During a year in Bozeman, Montana, Bryan schutmaat, now based in Brooklyn, new york, became fascinated by the nearby mining town of Butte; he has captured the area on and off throughout the six years since. his Grays the Mountain Sends, begun in late 2010, was inﬂuenced by literature set in the region by richard Ford, William Kittredge, raymond carver, and especially poet richard hugo. “hugo’s poems were often inspired by real-life towns he called ‘triggering towns,’ and so i began visiting them, searching for material just as he did,” schutmaat says. Like the poet, he would look for images based on what hugo termed the “truth of his feelings”—a sense that continued as he went farther north and south of hugo’s known territory. schutmaat searched for places with an industrial history, loosely planning routes from one mining town to the next. But most of the time he just set off on the road, stopping at sites that spoke to him. “i wandered in and out of these towns in a constant state of observation,” he says. he also stopped

in countless bars and diners, and his conversations with strangers increasingly led him to make portraits, both on the spot and in miners’ homes. his most memorable visit was with a former miner named chuck. “We ended up sharing a bottle of whiskey as he told me about his years mining and driving a bulldozer in Butte, about drinking and getting into trouble,” schutmaat says. chuck also told schutmaat about the loss of his son, killed in a construction accident. it reminded schutmaat of his own loss: “During the whole time i was shooting the project i found myself thinking of my father, and his dreams, and the way he would have gotten along with so many of the guys i was meeting.” While he remains in touch with a few of his subjects, including chuck, most were brief moments in a journey covering thousands of miles and spanning more than 50 towns and as many wilderness areas. his photos will be on view at the catherine edelman gallery in chicago this fall and the newspace center for photography in portland, oregon, in the spring of 2014. however far his work ranges, schutmaat is still inspired by his initial hero. “richard hugo was, in a sense, my copilot,” he says.

46 aMericanphotoMag.coM juLy/august 2013

Full Immersion

this spread and previous: Bryan schutmaat (6)

Clockwise from top left: Abandoned House, Philipsburg, Montana (2010); Ping Pong Table, Anaconda, Montana (2010); Ralph, Moorcroft, Wyoming (2011); Alpine Lake, Gallatin National Forest, Montana (2011).

Full Immersion

Brandon thibodeaux had a more than glancing understanding of the Mississippi Delta’s complicated history when he began photographing it. he grew up in a nearby part of texas, and as a journalism student at the university of north texas in 2006 he focused on agricultural economies. But he didn’t travel there until 2009. and though by then he was a freelance photographer, he’d come simply to escape Dallas for a while. “in one way i was looking to apply my knowledge from school,” he says. “But

that aside, the Delta was the quietest place i could think of to ride my bike, meet people, and do what i did on a daily basis back home.” then a new acquaintance invited him to sunday lunch at the home of the coffey family in the town of Duncan. this became the crux of a long-term photography project and sparked what thibodeaux now considers some of his most important relationships. the coffeys are well known throughout the neighboring towns, and thibodeaux found

48 aMericanphotoMag.coM juLy/august 2013

Above: A murmuration of black birds swarms over a harvested ﬁeld near Mound Bayou, Mississippi (2010).

Brandon Thibodeaux

them incredibly warm and welcoming in a way that he hadn’t yet experienced much in Dallas. “their candidness, and their openness for me to be there, like i was part of the family, was almost astonishingly immediate,” he says. “at that particular time, it was incredibly meaningful to me.” over that lunch and the ones that followed, the photographer opened up in conversations about music, religion, and relationships. he became a sort of conﬁdant even as he remained an outsider to the community. he photographed the family the day they met, and his camera has since come along on many sunday lunches, during which the coffeys

have introduced him to friends. as he turned this growing portfolio into a longer documentary project, mentioning the coffey name helped him meet strangers in towns such as alligator and Bo Bo. the resulting series, When the Morning Comes, took root over four years; he is now developing it into a book. he hopes that by introducing the faces and names of those who live in the Delta’s agricultural towns—human lives, rather than mere demographics—he might highlight their economic ordeals. Most of all, his work is a tribute to the years thibodeaux has spent talking with strangers who, when he needed it, welcomed him in.

Clockwise from top left: Alex beside his new car (2010); grain silos beneath the night sky in Duncan (2011); a young girl dressed as an angel following the First Baptist Church of Mound Bayou’s Christmas Eve celebration (2010); a church outside the town of Bo Bo (2011).

juLy/august 2013 aMericanphotoMag.coM 49

Above: Tiffany in the living room of her home in Duncan, Mississippi, September 13, 2009.

50 aMericanphotoMag.coM juLy/august 2013

this page: ÂŠ Brandon thibodeaux. opposite: ÂŠ erika Larsen.

On the Job

Full Immersion

Erika Larsen “My original plan was to photograph nomadic communities in south america,” Larsen says. having had an interest in human migration since the beginning of her photography career, she decided nine years ago to commit herself longterm to a project that would allow her to experience how these cultures really live. But Larsen’s early ventures into the southern hemisphere weren’t the right ﬁt, in part due to language barriers and the need for guides. then,

while researching nomadic groups elsewhere, she learned of the sami people, of the arctic region from northern scandinavia to northern russia. While historically known for herding reindeer, in the past few decades the group has largely been urbanized into scandinavian culture. about 10 percent still live within saamis (villages where herders live in season), bringing caribou back and forth between winter and summer pastures each year. Larsen’s introduction came by way of a family from saltoluokta, sweden, in 2007. over a few weeks’ stay with that family, she realized this was a subject she wanted to explore more deeply. and having

Above: Two young girls from Kautokeino, Norway, dressed for a conﬁrmation party (2009).

juLy/august 2013 aMericanphotoMag.coM 51

Full Immersion always been a believer in complete immersion, she moved to Kautokeino, norway, where she lived as a family’s housekeeper for more than two years. she looks back on her earlier images, many of which are collected in her book Sami: Walking With Reindeer (published in partnership with emphas.is), as some of the most valuable for their detached view as a spectator. “everything, at the beginning, was fresh and unfamiliar,” she says. Larsen was in Kautokeino for nearly a year before she had earned enough money to sustain a longer visit by selling photos to various publications in the u.s. at the end of the ﬁrst year, she received a Fulbright fellowship to study the northern sami language at a local university. Learning the language gave her access to older, non-english-speaking sami. and it allowed her to understand conversations when she took part in the reindeer migration herding, which takes up to six weeks each in the fall and spring. these journeys gave her some of her most important lessons in how and why to capture certain documentary images. “i would photograph reindeer in close-up, but i began to notice that sami herders were interested in studying them from far off, to anticipate their migration,” Larsen says. her observations began to shape how she photographed. Larsen concluded her photographic work on the series in 2011; she says her relationships with the people she pictured have grown rather than faded in the years since. Discussing her experiences, Larsen easily falls into the description of customs and traditions in sami terms. “i don’t think i’ll ever get the sami out of me,” she jokes. “it’s part of my life now.” AP

Clockwise from above: Snow shoes made of reindeer skin (2009); the Gaup family from Kautokeino, Norway (2010); Elle Marja Gaup (2011); Lena Susanne Gaup with her horse Tarzan (2011); Nils Peder Gaup (2010).

Hands on

going Beyond Manual

what photographers need THe Goods 56 TecH Trend 58

Zeiss releases its first autofocus lenses— and they’re for ILCs By stan horaczek arl Zeiss has gone out on a limb with its new Touit lenses, and not just by naming them after a small parrot. The venerable optics maker has for the first time created a series of autofocus lenses, and they’re designed for interchangeable-lens compact cameras with APS-C-sized sensors in the Fujifilm X-mount and Sony E-mount systems. (For this review, I shot extensively with the 12mm f/2.8 Distagon T* and the 32mm f/1.8 Planar T* on Sony’s Alpha NEX7.) While there is a lot to like about the lenses, not least the optics themselves, these first entries in the line are certainly not without growing—or maybe shrinking—pains. For Zeiss, optical performance is clearly the primary focus. The 32mm lens (equivalent to a “normal” 48mm in full-frame terms) is extremely sharp, even when used wide open. It’s the kind of sharpness that makes you smile as you admire your subject’s eyelashes at 100 percent magnification. The 12mm lens (an ultrawide 18mm fullframe equivalent) is similarly sharp and, while it still produces some unavoidable distortion, this does not seem nearly as aggressive as other lenses with comparable fields of view.

Nearly circular diaphragms make for smooth and attractive bokeh—even the circular specular highlights look pleasing. From a contrast standpoint, Touit lenses seem a little ﬂatter than some

of their DSLr-lens counterparts, but I count that as a positive, since they produce a clean digital image that fares extremely well during processing. The limitations of these lenses become immediately apparent when you look at autofocus. Focusing is slow, and the 32mm has a tendency to hunt to the point where shooting fast action becomes frustrating. The 12mm lens is faster to focus, but in many situations it feels slower than the camera’s standard kit lens. The AF motors are loud enough that using them during video mode renders the camera’s onboard audio recording mostly useless (it’s always better to use an external mic with video, anyway). And lack of optical image stabilization—which would be nice but can reduce sharpness overall—is also a negative when it comes to shooting motion. Things do improve substantially in manual focus. The movement is driven by electronics, so it can’t perfectly replicate the feel of a traditional mF lens, but the focusing action is responsive and accurate enough, even for ﬁne adjustments. The focus ring is made of smooth, grippy rubber, which may take a little getting used to, but the overall manual-focus experience is gratifying. While many Zeiss DSLr lenses skew larger than their competition, the Touits are compact and surprisingly light. Their metal bodies feel as if they’ll last for years; their lens hoods, though plastic, have an appealing burliness; and the T* coating minimizes reﬂections beautifully. These new optics really provide everything you’d expect from a Zeiss lens in a much smaller package. ap

noteworthy specs FOCAL LENGTH 12mm and 32mm APERTURE RANGE f/2.8–22 and f/1.8–22, respectively MOUNTS Fujiﬁm X, Sony E LENGTH Up to 3.4 in. (86 mm) and 3.0 in. (76 mm), respectively, depending on mount FILTER SIZE 67mm and 52mm, respectively CLOSE-FOCUSING DISTANCE 7.1 in. (18 cm) and 11.8 in. (30 cm), respectively BUY IT $1,250 and $900, respectively; lenses.zeiss.com

JULY/AUgUST 2013 AmErICANPhoTomAg.Com 55

the goods The best new stuff for work—and play By the editors of american photo

oPeN Widest LoNG ANd LoNGer Canon EF 200–400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X Designed for pro sports and wildlife photographers, this pricey super-telephoto zoom has an extra twist: a built-in extender that instantly boosts its range to 280–560mm, albeit at a dimmer f/5.6, on a full-frame DSLR such as the Canon EOS-1D X or 5D Mark III; on Canon’s APS-C-sized sensor bodies, such as the 7D, it reaches the equivalent of nearly 900mm. This allows shooters trying to capture swiftly moving subjects or working in dusty or damp environments to avoid having to change lenses in the ﬁeld. Sure, it’s fairly big (up to 14.4 inches) and heavy (nearly 9 pounds), but if it saves having to pack an even bigger 600mm f/4, who cares? BUY IT $11,800; usa.canon.com

LooK Before PriNtiNG LG IPS ColorPrime 27EA83 Any photographer who wants ﬁnished images to turn out just so needs the right monitor. This new 27-inch LED monitor from LG boasts 2560x1440-pixel (WQHD) resolution; the Super In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology affords a wide viewing angle and more even distribution of images than traditional monitors. Other useful features for photographers and retouchers: 10-bit color display and the ability to swivel the screen 90 degrees into portrait mode. BUY IT $1,000; lg.com/us/monitors 56 americanphotomag.com July/august 2013

Sigma 18–35mm f/1.8 DC HSM With a big maximum aperture of f/1.8, this new wide-angle for APS-Csensor DSLRs is the brightest constant-aperture zoom on the market. It scales to a full-frame equivalent of about 30–56mm on Canon and 27–53mm on Nikon and Sigma mounts. The lens works with Sigma’s new USB dock, through which photographers can update the ﬁrmware and adjust focus parameters. BUY IT Price not yet available; sigmaphoto.com

sMooth MoVer Manfrotto MVH500A This pan-tilt model, one of Manfrotto’s two new 500-series ﬂuid heads for DSLR video, has a 60mm half-ball tripod mount, for quicker leveling without having to readjust the legs. The light and compact head supports rigs of up to 11 pounds (5 kilograms), and its elongated quick-release plate slides for more precise balance. BUY IT $200; manfrotto.us

softWAre By sUBsCriPtioN

ANNiVersAry hoMAGe Olympus Pen E-P5 For this update of its Pen line of Micro Four Thirds interchangeable-lens compacts, Olympus took a step back—to the 1960s. Its style is drawn from the original Pen F of 50 years ago, but the new Pen E-P5 boasts decidedly 21st-century specs. With the same 16.1MP Live MOS sensor and TruePic VI processing that’s in Olympus’s excellent OM-D E-M5, the new camera captures bursts of up to 9 frames per second (with continuous autofocus off) and boasts an action-freezing top mechanicalshutter speed of 1/8000 sec. The pop-up flash can be used to trigger off-camera units, and in auto mode the camera allows remote view, focusing, and firing via Android and iOS devices—Wi-Fi and GPS are built in. Alas, no viewfinder; the new 2.36 million–dot VF-4 electronic viewfinder shown here is sold separately or bundled in a kit with the camera and a 17mm (34mm full-frame equivalent) f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital lens. BUY IT $1,000, body only, or $1,450 with lens and EVF; getolympus.com

Adobe Creative Cloud When Adobe announced this spring that it would abandon perpetually licensed sales of its vital Creative Suite software in favor of the subscription-only Creative Cloud service, howls of outrage erupted around the Internet. Photographers who have “owned” Photoshop for years are understandably nervous about the shift, which will mean that they may need to make sure their CC subscription is live before opening some of their own files. But as details emerged, the benefits for many devoted users (especially those who plan to buy new versions ad infinitum) became clear: Updates will be implemented immediately and automatically, and it comes with 20GB of cloud storage for access to projects from anywhere. BUY IT $20/month, Photoshop only, or $50/month, full suite (current CS users should check for upgrade discounts); adobe.com

ChANGe yoUr PersPeCtiVe Rokinon Tilt-Shift 24mm f/3.5 ED AS USC Even in this fake-it-with-software era, tilt-shift lenses let SLR shooters correct perspective, maximize depth of ﬁeld, narrow focus down to a thin band, turn a cityscape into what looks like a miniature, and even avoid catching a reﬂected self-portrait. Now Rokinon gives bargain hunters something to love, too, with a new tilt-shift lens that retails for about half the price of big-name glass. It’s still an investment, but for some t/s fans, this full-framer, which scales up to the equivalent of about 38mm on Canon APS-C bodies and 36mm on Nikon, may be just the ticket. BUY IT $1,000; rokinon.com

After-the-fACt foCUsiNG Arqball FocusTwist With this iOS app, you can refocus a photo after shooting it with an Apple iPhone or iPad. For best results, choose an object that sits close to the camera (3 to 4 inches) and another about 5 feet away. Over about two seconds, the camera takes dozens of shots with different focal points, and then software stitches them together. Afterward, just tap the spot that you want to come into focus. BUY IT $2; focustwist.com

BoX WoNder Ilford Obscura Pinhole Camera Who needs a lens, anyway? This new camera uses a 0.3mm pinhole in stainless steel to expose images on 4x5 sheet film or photo-sensitive paper. A magnetic shutter controls exposure, and a tripod socket makes mounting easy. The full kit includes the camera; 10 sheets each of 4x5-inch Ilford Delta 100 Professional film, Ilford Multigrade IV RC paper, and Harman Direct Positive paper; sight-line and decorative stickers; and a three-tray, light-tight sheet-film box. Users will still need a film-changing bag—and a darkroom. BUY IT $99; ilfordphoto.com July/august 2013 americanphotomag.com 57

Tech Trends

BIG SENSORS, SMALL CAMERAS A new crop of high-performance digital compacts all promise great images on the go. How is a photographer to choose? BY PHILIP RYAN

et’s face facts. Most photographers, professional and enthusiast alike, ache for a compact camera that can deliver truly top-notch imaging—no matter how much gear they’re willing to haul around or how often they take snapshots with their smartphones. What they’ll pay to satisfy that yearning was put to the test last winter, when Sony came out with the cyber-shot RX1, the ﬁrst full-frame, ﬁxed-lens compact camera, which retails for about $2,800. Now we’re seeing a fresh batch of compacts that have APS-c-sized sensors and smaller price tags to match. Nikon and Pentax Ricoh released strong new entries last spring, and two pioneers

58 AMERIcANPhOTOMAG.cOM JuLy/AuGuST 2013

of the APS-c compact category recently updated their catalogs, Sigma with the DP3 Merrill and Fujifilm with the X100s. Add to that Leica’s new X2, Nikon’s coolpix A, and Ricoh’s revamped GR, and that’s seven compacts with APS-c or larger sensors. (See the table on page 62 for a rundown of all the models.) Is it time, at last, to buy? Tale of the Tape The first major difference among these cameras: their lenses. The Nikon coolpix A, Ricoh GR, and Sigma DP1 Merrill all capture the approximate field of view of a 28mm full-frame lens and a reasonably fast maximum aperture of f/2.8. That’s

Above: Four of the seven current compacts with APSC-sized sensors, clockwise from top—Leica X2, Ricoh GR, Fujiﬁlm X100s, and Nikon Coolpix A.

PRIME TIME SIGMA’S PRIME LENS SERIES

Sigma pro Lindsay Adler relies on Sigma prime lenses to capture her creative vision.

Sigma’s selection of four impressive prime lenses delivers essential focal lengths and large maximum apertures for prime shooting in low-light conditions making them a vital tool in any photographer’s kit. Sigma has always leveraged the most advanced optical technologies to offer photographers the highest level of lens performance. With the addition of two new lenses to the line, Sigma offers substantial range, remarkable sharpness and images that will take your breath away.

SIGMA 35MM F1.4 DC HSM | ART A TRUE FLAGSHIP OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION One of Sigma’s finest creations yet, this lens sets a new benchmark for performance offering quality that exceeds expectations. The first lens in the all-new ART line of products: the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM is a wideangle F1.4 lens delivering the highest level of brightness and beautiful bokeh effects. Designed for full frame cameras it can also be used with APS-C sensors. Compatible with the Sigma USB dock and Optimization Pro software to adjust and fine tune focusing parameters. Under the Global Vision standard, every lens will be tested before shipping using the Sigma A1 MTF system to ensure the highest degree of quality possible.

SIGMA 30MM F1.4 DC HSM | ART A BEST SELLER MADE EVEN BETTER

SIGMA 50MM F1.4 EX DG HSM THE PERFECT STANDARD PRIME

This large aperture standard digital SLR camera lens in APS-C format is ideal for many types of artistic expression.

Tried and true, there’s a reason this lens remains in the Sigma line and a top seller.

Sigma pioneered the large-aperture APS-C format standard lens category with its famous 30mm F1.4 lens. After having reorganized all the lenses into three product lines, they are proud to introduce the fully updated SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM, which offers an angle of view equivalent to 45mm on a 35mm camera. With an angle of view and sense of perspective extremely close to that of human vision, this lens stimulates the desire to create and is ideal for many different types of photographic expression. It is a superb go-to lens for artistic photography.

You’ll recognize the overall high quality and professional optics with your ﬁrst photograph. In the past few years, camera manufacturers have overlooked the need for a fast prime lens that is compact enough for everyday use, yet provides the necessary image quality to meet the highest expectations. The 50mm F1.4 is that lens.

Compatible with the Sigma USB dock and Optimization Pro software to adjust and ﬁne tune focusing parameters. Under the Global Vision standard, every lens will be tested before shipping using the Sigma A1 MTF system to ensure the highest degree of quality possible.

Now, with the advent of the APS-C camera, the long popular 50mm focal length takes on double duty as a portrait length lens of approximately 90mm on most of the small chip cameras. At a fraction of the size, weight and cost of comparable lenses, this is a lens that you might have on your digital SLR at all times.

SIGMA 85MM F1.4 EX DG HSM THE ULTIMATE WEDDING AND PORTRAIT LENS Sigma’s 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM lens is a large aperture medium telephoto lens optimized for use with digital SLR cameras and is especially ideal for portrait and low light photography. Fast, quiet and sharp, the Sigma 85mm lens is everything a photographer dreams about. With a large 1.4 aperture, the 85mm is great in low light and also creates beautiful bokeh with a very shallow depth of ﬁeld. When photographing weddings and portraits, having the right gear is vital because those special moments can pass so quickly. Deﬁning Failsafe, the Sigma 85mm 1.4 is often the lens a photographer puts on their camera and never takes off.

For more information, visit sigmaphoto.com

Tech Trends great for street photography, landscapes, and casual architectural work. Plus, for everyday snapshots, a wide lens can make it easier to fit people into group photos and can make a huge difference when shooting in tight spaces. If 28mm feels too wide for you, look to the Fujifilm X100s, Leica X2, or Sony RX1, all of which provide the rough equivalent of a 35mm field of view. This is the traditional focal length for street photography, and rangefinder aficionados swear by it. It also introduces less distortion than 28mm lenses will. Of course, images from a wider-angle lens can always be cropped. The Ricoh GR has a mode that automatically crops down to a 35mm field of view, but in doing so it tosses away enough sensor coverage to bring down the effective pixel count to 10.2 megapixels from its native 16.2MP. Sigma’s DP2 Merrill and DP3 Merrill round out the pack. The former sports a lens with a 45mm equivalent field of view, while the latter provides a unique 75mm equivalent. Fans of the so-called normal focal length, 50mm, will come closest with the DP2—some photographers argue that its 45mm more closely matches the field of view of the human eye. Portrait shooters will appreciate the DP3’s longer focal length, which can lend a flatteringly compressed depth that’s popular among photographers of people. For the most part, these cameras are built to keep up with advanced shooters. The bodies, though some are covered in plastic, are metal at their core. All of them have shutters that can allow durations as short as 1/2000 second. For the Sigmas and the Nikon, this is the fastest shutter speed available. Both the Sony and Fujifilm can go to 1/4000 second, but only at f/5.6 and smaller apertures with the Sony and f/8 or smaller with the Fujifilm; the Ricoh allows 1/4000 second at any lens aperture. All of these cameras can capture images in RAW format. Again, Fujifilm adds a twist, with ISOs 100, 12,800, and 25,600 restricted to JPEG capture. None of the Sigmas offer higher than ISO 6400 in any file format. Nikon and Sony bring 14-bit RAW capture to the plate, while the others capture at 12-bit. The Main Event It all comes down to feel. If you can’t comfortably get the shot, the size of the sensor doesn’t matter. Fujifilm obviously targets rangefinder fans with its X100s. It mimics not only the look of those classic cameras but their shooting experience as well. The shutter button can accept the threaded cable release that many street photographers use to trip the shutter during surreptitious shooting. Even better is the hybrid viewfinder. In optical mode, this provides a bright-frame-like overlay that even corrects for parallax when on the near end of the focusing range. A distance scale helps you focus 60 AMERIcANPhOTOMAG.cOM JuLy/AuGuST 2013

Top and center: The Coolpix A’s physical controls will feel familiar to Nikon shooters; the hotshoe takes an optional optical viewfinder. Bottom: Fujifilm’s X100s is the only one of these cameras with a built-in finder.

This is your opportunity to ﬁll your portfolio with beautiful photos. We provide models, sets and lighting so all you need is your camera and creativity. Now offering half-day sessions, as well as full-day sessions at a NEW REDUCED PRICE! Full-day session includes a boudoir shoot and retouching class.

LINDSAY ADLER

SCHEDULE Dallas Jun-22 Chicago Jul-13 Cleveland Aug-10 Phoenix Sep-7 Los Angeles Oct-12 New York Nov-24 Atlanta Dec-7

KEVIN AMES

A select group of the instructors will be at each location.

OUR PROS

LEARN FROM PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS

JESSICA LARK

BENNY MIGLIORINO

MARK REIS

JENNIFER ROZENBAUM

American Photo Model Shoot

Come try out the new line of Sigma lenses and Sigma SDI camera!

Tech Trends

CAMERAS COMPARED

Quick takes on all of the APS-C-sensor compacts—and the one full-framer

Camera

Lens

Ricoh GR

Sensor

Pros

Cons

Buy It

18.3mm f/2.8 (28mm)

16.2MP CMOS

The best price and most discreet style in the category; fast and intuitive control system

Image quality at its best is only through ISO 400; by ISO 1600, noise interferes

$800

Nikon Coolpix A

18.5mm f/2.8 (28mm)

16.2MP CMOS

Image quality extremely high through ISO 1600; good noise control until ISO 3200; takes Speedlights

AF slows in low light and closeups; some oddball controls; pricey ($380) optical viewﬁnder

$1,000

Sigma DP1 Merrill

19mm f/2.8 (28.5mm)

46MP (15.3MP x 3-layer) Foveon

The Foveon sensor’s three-layer design produces smooth transitions between colors in all three Sigma cameras

Slow in-camera JPEG processing and huge ﬁle sizes make it much better to shoot in RAW

$1,000

Fujiﬁlm X100s

23mm f/2 (34.5mm)

16.3MP CMOS

Best image quality of the lot through ISO 400; excellent hybrid viewﬁnder built in

No RAW capture at the highest and lowest ISOs; noise becomes a problem at ISO 1600

$1,300

Sony

35mm f/2

24.3MP full-frame CMOS

Full-frame sensor and fast lens create best image quality and shallower depth of ﬁeld

Expensive and relatively big; external electronic viewﬁnder is a costly option

$2,800

Leica X2

24mm f/2.8 (36mm)

16.1MP CMOS

Extremely high image quality through ISO 800; image stabilization for slow shutter speeds

No video capture; somewhat sluggish AF; signiﬁcantly higher price than other APS-C models

$2,000

Sigma DP2 Merrill

30mm f/2.8 (45mm)

46MP (15.3MP x 3-layer) Foveon

Image quality extremely high through ISO 800; good manual focusing; dual menu system

Same sensor and image processor as other DP Merrills, so pros and cons are the same

$1,000

Sigma DP3 Merrill

50mm f/2.8 (75mm)

46MP (15.3MP x 3-layer) Foveon

Long focal length for portraits and close-ups, gives a more ﬂattering look

Telephoto lens can be limiting; other pros/cons same as the rest of the DP Merrills

$1,000

Cyber-shot

(full-frame equiv.)

RX1

manually and indicates depth of field—useful for anyone trying the “f/8 and be there” approach. If you want to shoot macro or if conditions are sufficiently dim, you can flip a switch on the front of the body and it’ll change to a 2.36 million–dot EVF. Autofocusing proves fast in bright or medium light—as is true of the rest of these cameras. Nikon’s coolpix A has the feel of the most powerful compact camera you’ve ever used. In bright light, it focuses quickly, but it slows noticeably in dim light and tends to hunt excessively when shooting in macro mode. It boasts two assignable function buttons, but there are limits to what can be assigned to each button (a common drawback in Nikon’s lower-level DSLRs). Leica’s X2 improves upon some of the finer points of the X1. Focusing is faster, though still a bit sluggish compared with most of the other cameras in this category. It’s the only compact here to include image stabilization, but otherwise it doesn’t distinguish itself, handsome design and 62 AMERIcANPhOTOMAG.cOM JuLy/AuGuST 2013

iconic red dot notwithstanding. The quality of its imaging is in line with the other APS-csensor compacts. Sigma’s DP Merrill series cameras differ from one another solely in their lenses. Autofocusing with all of them is somewhat slower than with other compacts in this class. Their well-designed dual control-panel-style menus make changing settings much faster and easier. But where the Sigmas really shine is in the beautiful detail they can produce while delivering ultra-smooth tonal transitions. Their Foveon sensors produce enormous RAW ﬁles that make in-camera JPEG processing impractical, but with care and the right subject matter these might be

pentax imaging.com

nikonusa.com

sigma photo.com

fujiﬁlm usa.com

sonydigital imaging.com

us.leica -camera.com

sigma photo.com

Ricoh’s GR, the least expensive on this list, also has the most discreet style; its sensor is much larger than the ones in the earlier GR Digital line of compacts.

Ask about our new product kits!

Leave the baggage.

Take the power.

The NEW PHOTOGENIC ION… LITHIUM-ION PURE SINE WAVE INVERTER You never have all the luxuries of the studio when you shoot off-site. But now you can lighten your load with a highly compact and portable power supply. Compatible with most monolights, produces over 1,000* ﬂashes and recharges quickly. A standard USB port, LED power monitor and dual 3 prong AC outlets provide maximum versatility on any budget. Portable power wherever you need it!

photogenic.com | 800.682.7668

Ask About Our $25 Rebate

*Based on performance of 320 WS Monolight per charge.

SUBMIT YOUR PORTFOLIO FOR REVIEW!

Limited time off er $69

Have your work critiqued by experts from Popular Photography and the New York Institute of Photography, and receive guidance and mentoring for future skill development. Our Online Portfolio Review is the go-to destination for photographers of all levels who want to take the next step in creating an unforgettable portfolio. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE

One portfolio will be featured in an upcoming issue of Popular Photography!

WEDDING

ARCHITECTURE

LANDSCAPE

ABSTRACT

PORTRAIT

Tech Trends

Above: Sigma’s DP1 Merrill has the widest focal length of the DP Merrill line; shown from the side, the physical size of its lens becomes clear. Left: Sony’s Cyber-shot RX1 is only slightly larger.

the only cameras in this category that can seriously compete with the amount of detail delivered by the full-frame Sony. That said, many photographers might not want to deal with RAW conversion when using a camera like this, but if you’re OK with a slower, more deliberate shooting pace and processing after the fact, then the DP Merrills deserve consideration, especially if you don’t want a wide-angle lens. Ricoh’s GR looks almost exactly like the GR1 film camera the company introduced decades ago. Despite its Spartan style, it provides a wonderful shooting experience. A small rocker on the back gives immediate access to exposure compensation (no holding buttons and twirling dials here), and each of its multiple assignable function buttons can accept any of 26 settings. Speedy autofocus in both regular and macro modes, close focusing to less than 12 inches in regular mode, and finely detailed images left us wondering if we’d want to spend the extra money on the Nikon, its closest competitor. At $800, the GR is the bargain of the bunch. Then there’s Sony’s RX1. Shooting with this little tank has a more luxurious feel than any other compact—more a rangefinder, though without the signature framing and focusing experience of those cameras (or of the Fujifilm X100s, for that matter). There’s a precision and elegance to the camera that didn’t come through with any of the others in this category. Add to that the highest level of imaging to ever come out of a camera this size, and you’ll soon find that you’ve almost forgotten how much it costs. The Winners: Photographers If you ignore price, the Sony RX1 steals the show. It’s the most pleasurable to use and

delivers the best images of the bunch. If you pay attention to price most of all, the Ricoh GR is the easy winner. It delivers a wonderful shooting experience along with images that rival anything you’ll get from any of the APS-c-sensor compacts. Fufjiﬁlm’s X100s will appeal most to street shooters and deliver the most image detail next to the Sony. Sigma’s DP Merrills, meanwhile, appease the cult following of Foveon enthusiasts, and if you’re not chasing action shots and plan to shoot RAW anyway, they can produce images of staggering beauty. you just have to pick a focal length. Nikon shooters will feel immediately at home with the coolpix A’s DSLR-like menus and familiar buttons. This compact offers a simple path to excellent pictures with remarkably low-noise JPEG images all the way up to ISO 3200. None of the others, save the RX1, can control noise in JPEGs as well as the Nikon. It’s hard to point to one winner in this bunch. Special photographic requirements aside, we don’t think any of these cameras will disappoint. And if you needed proof that the best of times for high-quality digital compact cameras is at hand, that is it. AP

Still the only camera this size with a full-frame digital sensor, the Sony RX1 delivers the highest image quality in the category—at the highest price.

Realize the unlimited potential of each image! A fne arts lab, focused on customized jobs to meet the immediate needs of the artist, as well as insuring the archival life of prints. Visit us at www.autumncolor.com or call 800-533-5050.

The Jobu Jr3 gimbal head, with Deluxe Swing-Arm upgrade. Unsurpassed control of telephoto lenses. Made in Canada, Available World-Wide www.jobu-design.com Toll Free 1-888-321-JOBU (5628)

PLEASE NOTE: It is impossible for us to verify all the claims of advertisers, including product availability and existence of warranties. To confirm that an advertiser is authorized to sell a product, we suggest you contact the manufacturer directly.

AMERICAN PHOTO

“The Jobu Jr.3 has exceeded all my expectations! Light and packable with fuid movement and reliable support; my “go-to” tripod head for my super-telephoto lenses!” -Chris Dodds, Professional Nature Photographer www.chrisdoddsphoto.com

PARTING SHOT

ive years ago, london-based photographer Jasper White went to a new year’s eve party held in a shed in rural australia. his brother-in-law, pete Walker, was from the area and explained that the sheds—large, freestanding units the size of a garage or guest cottage in the u.s.—were ubiquitous in many of the small towns in the outback. Kept exclusively by men, the sheds are part of an old-fashioned, small-town australian cultural tradition: the women have their space in the home, and the men keep a separate retreat to indulge their hobbies. like an adolescent’s bedroom, sheds are deeply personal and intensely maintained. of course, similar man caves—in basements, spare rooms, and garages—are common all over the world. When the photographer was a child in the united Kingdom, his father, a scientist, had a shed;

From top: A shed in rural Australia, photographed in 2011 by Jasper White; shed owner Rustin and his daughter.

66 americanphotomag.com July/august 2013

Photographer Jasper White explores hobby sheds in the Australian outback By Jill c. ShomeR he blew it up while experimenting with rockets. Because White’s work at home frequently explored the relationships people have with territories and space, these masculine structures fascinated him. “each shed becomes an extreme focal point of human individuality in a barren wasteland,” he says. he began a long period of traveling to the australian outback to meet the locals and photograph their various sheds. more than 80 of White’s shed images are now being collected into a book, and a small selection were shown at gallery nine5 in new york in 2012. Depending on the township, australian sheds might house steam engines, airplanes, full bars, even a dance club. the one shown here houses the prized possession of a car enthusiast named rustin (who goes by his ﬁrst name only): a beautifully maintained 1971 Bathurst rt charger. AP

It’s a Man’s World

PROMOTION

imaging

edge

PhotograPhy Video gear techniques LifestyLe

Fresh Perspectives on Digital Imaging...

From the publishers of Popular Photography & American Photo

PROMOTION

welcome to... Imaging Edge For a new era in video and photography, we introduce an inspiring publication focused entirely on digital video and photography. Please enjoy this short introduction to Imaging Edge and some of the regular columns it will include. Here’s a sneak peek at what else you’ll see beginning with the September issue. GEAR + GADGETS Imaging Edge will explore the state of the art in digital imaging and video, from technology to creativity. INSTRUCTION Each issue will present readers with the latest information on cameras, lenses, and other imaging products, as well as practical instruction and expert advice for photographers and filmmakers of all levels. EXPERT INSPIRATION Imaging Edge will also provide inspiration and insights with profiles of some of the world’s most talented photographers and filmmakers, including Sony’s Artisans of Imagery. Imaging Edge will be available with select editions of the September issues of Popular Photography and American Photo, and will be FREE to download as a digital magazine with enhanced features. Other Imaging Edge properties coming soon will include: • Expert, Instructional Video Series • Imaging Edge Blog • Online Digital Imaging Hub • Destination Weekend Workshops To get your free first issue of Imaging Edge and learn more about the programs listed above, visit IMAGINGEDGE.COM.

Cover photo (C) David McLain, Sony Artisan of Imagery.

TEST

DRIVE

step right up In each issue, this column will contain the honest feedback, images, and real-life experiences of photographers who are using Sony’s DSLR, ILC and point-and shoot cameras, video cameras, lenses and accessories. Find out how fun—or challenging—these products are to master and how they perform in real-world situations for photographers and filmmakers ranging from casual vacation shooters to master portrait artists. Along the way, we’ll explore first-hand the advanced features and controls that can help these artists take their imaging to the next level. Participating photographers and filmmakers will be chosen from the readers of Popular Photography and American Photo, so visit imagingedge.com for details on how you can be among the lucky ones who get to test drive some great Sony products!

Photos (C) Michael J. McNamara

PROMOTION

INSTANT

right place, right time “I could not believe I nailed it!”

Photo (C) Michael J. McNamara

Some planning, and a lot of luck! Every day we’re bombarded by hordes of images in ads, and TV commercials, on signs and websites, and even attached to the emails in our smartphones! Most don’t catch our eye, but the great ones rise above the mediocre-image crowd and beg for an explanation as to how they were created—and who created them. In this column, we’ll start by selecting and showcasing amazing images taken by our readers with Sony cameras.Visit imagingedge.com for details on how to be selected. Then, we’ll delve deeply into a behind-the-scenes look at how the image was created—from the original concept that inspired the photographer to the actual equipment and techniques used to capture and polish the ﬁnal image.

GEAR +

PROMOTION

GADGETS

get a grip Never before have there been so many imaging products aimed at so many kinds of photographers and ďŹ lmmakers. The digital world today is about mobility, sharing, and video production, as well as cameras and lenses. Gear + Gadgets will showcase an exciting cross-section of imaging products, focusing on Sony cameras, lenses, and accessories. These are the tools designed to help people become better photographers, and to empower professionals who want to build their own photo business and the services they can provide to potential clients. These tools will help photographers of all skill levels get their imagery out into the world, and to enable them to transition into the ďŹ eld of video, where they can expand their creative horizons.

Photo (C) Michael J. McNamara