Photo Life July 2015 Sample

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YOUR GUIDE TO EVERYTHING PHOTO

THE YEAR’S BEST PHOTO PRODUCTS!

VIVIAN MAIER Her Life, Her Legacy,

+

UNDERSTANDING THE SUNNY 16 RULE

and theQuestion of Copyright WHY A PHOTO BOOK IS GOOD FOR YOUR BUSINESS GET BETTER RESULTS WHEN YOU PRINT

LOW-PASS FILTERS WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

THE CANADIAN MOSAIC PROJECT A PHOTOGRAPHER’S QUEST TO UNITE CANADA

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CONTENTS June/July 2015, Volume 40, Number 4

4 6 10 66 Cover photo by Glenn Springer

Contributors Editorial Exposure Close-up

VISION 22 The Story of Vivian Maier

by Stephen Bulger Over the past eight years, photographs by a woman named Vivian Maier have taken the photo world by storm. This tale encompasses a wide range of topics: hidden talents, 50s and 60s Americana, auction-house finds, unknown intentions and/or restrictions, copyright debates and a plethora of great photographs.

28 Best of Photo Clubs 2015 We invited members of photo clubs across Canada to share their finest work with us; thank you to everyone who participated! We are proud to present the top images submitted to the 2015 Best of Photo Clubs competition.

22

34 Without the Frame The Flocks Return

by David duChemin In January 2013 I returned to Kenya, near the Ethiopian border, where I documented the BOMA Project’s work among nomadic pastoralists eking out a living in some of the most desperate and inhospitable places I’ve ever been.

36 The Canadian Mosaic Project

28

by Tim Van Horn On Canada Day 2017 in Victoria, British Columbia, at mile zero of the TransCanada Highway, a forty-foot multimedia pavilion on wheels will launch out across the land on a 365-day tour broadcasting the beautiful story of who we are.

40 Showtime Green

TECHNIQUE 42 Publishing a Photo Book

by Scott Linstead A printed book is still an effective tool for sharing photography with an audience. A self-published book for profit and for advancing one’s career is well within the grasp of the serious amateur photographer.

48 FAQ Low-Pass Filters

36 PHOTO LIFE

by Jean-François Landry For a while now, we’ve heard a lot of talk about the low-pass filter. Their usefulness is being questioned since they cause a slight decrease in sharpness. Let’s look into it more.

JUNE/JULY 2015

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50 Photo 101 Understanding the Sunny 16 Rule There are some simple, basic rules that can save you time and energy, even in this digital age where everything tends to automate itself. The Sunny 16 Rule is one of them.

GEAR 52 Digital Workflow Printing Tips for Better Outputs

by David Tanaka It seems so simple. The photo looks great on your computer screen. That special fine-art paper you bought is just awesome. You hit Print and—disappointment.

What happened? Printmaking is a dance between printer, paper and computer.

56 The 25th TIPA Awards As a member of the Technical Imaging Press Association, Photo Life joined the other 27 leading photo and imaging magazines from 15 countries on five continents in Dubai to vote for the most outstanding photo and imaging products.

58 Gadget Guide

by Jean-François Landry

60 Imaging Products Review

by Peter K. Burian

CONTRIBUTORS AND EDITORIAL STAFF Stephen Bulger is the owner of the Stephen Bulger Gallery, located in Toronto’s Art and Design District. Founded in 1994, this is one of the few galleries in Canada that specialize in photography. bulgergallery.com

PHOTO LIFE JUNE/JULY 2015 Volume 40, Number 4 171 St. Paul Street, Suite 102, Quebec, QC Canada G1K 3W2 418-692-2110 1-800-905-7468 info@photolife.com facebook.com/photolifemag

@photolifemag

SUBSCRIPTIONS 1-800-461-7468 subscription@photolife.com EDITORIAL Editorial Department editor@photolife.com Editorial Director Valérie Racine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vracine@photolife.com Administrative and Editorial Assistant Jenny Montgomery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .info@photolife.com Contributing Editors David Tanaka Peter K. Burian Art Director Guy Langevin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .glangevin@photolife.com ADMINISTRATION Publisher & Media Sales Director Guy J. Poirier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .gpoirier@photolife.com 418-692-2110 or 1-800-905-7468 Ext. 101 Advertising Consultant Stephen Stelmach . . . . . . . . . .advertising@photolife.com 416-996-1822 Accounting Emmanuelle Champagne . . . . .accounting@photolife.com

PHOTO LIFE (ISSN 0700-3021) is published six times a year (December/January, February/March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October/November) by Apex Publications Inc., a Canadian-owned company. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not, under any circumstances, including Cancopy, be reproduced or used in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher.

PHOTO LIFE is indexed in Canadian Magazine by Micromedia Limited. Back issues of PHOTO LIFE are available in microform from Micromedia Limited, 20 Victoria St., Toronto, Ontario M5C 2N8.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Peter K. Burian

is a technology writer and freelance stock photographer. He is the author of several Magic Lantern Guide books on DSLR systems. He is also a digital photography course instructor with betterphoto.com. peterkburian.com

David duChemin is a Vancouver-based photographer and adventurer. His bestselling books on the art of photography have been translated into a dozen languages. davidduchemin.com Jean-François Landry

has been providing advice to photographic equipment buyers in Quebec City since 1989. He also shares his passion with amateur photographers through courses and magazine articles. cylidd.com

Guy Langevin has worked as a graphic designer in the photo industry for many years. You don’t collaborate with and befriend some of the best photographers in the country without learning a few tricks of the trade, so he became a photographic designer.

Trained in aerospace engineering, Scott Linstead stepped into professional nature photography after leaving a high-school teaching position in 2007. He is the author of the book Decisive Moments: Creating Iconic Imagery (2010). scottyphotography.photoshelter.com

Jenny Montgomery is a theatre director and writer who first learned her way around a darkroom in 1998. Photography runs in her family, so it was probably inevitable that it would be a part of her life.

Valérie Racine began working for Apex Publications in 2002. She currently serves as Editorial Director for both Photo Life and Photo Solution magazines. Her background includes studies in art, art history and communications, and she is passionate about photography.

Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies whose products and services might be of interest to our subscribers. If you prefer to have your name removed from this list and not receive these mailings, let us know by telephone, fax, regular mail or email.

Member of CCAB, CITA and TIPA.

REGULAR PRICES $35.70 (1 year - 6 issues) $71.40 (2 years - 12 issues) $107.10 (3 years - 18 issues) Prices exclude applicable Canadian sales taxes. Make cheque payable to PHOTO LIFE. US residents pay in US funds and add US$10.00 per year for postage. Foreign residents pay in US funds and add US$90.00 per year for postage. Single copy: CAN/US$5.95 SUBMISSIONS PHOTO LIFE welcomes portfolio and article submissions for possible publication. Article submissions must pertain to the subject of photography and include images supporting the submitted text. All submissions must respect the publisher’s submission guidelines. Complete submission guidelines are available at www.photolife.com, from the publisher at write@photolife.com, or by calling 1-800-905-7468.

David Tanaka

is a technology writer based in Lethbridge, Alta. His work as a photographer includes magazine assignments, fine-art printmaking and stock. He also teaches multimedia communication at Lethbridge College.

COPYRIGHT © 2015 APEX PUBLICATIONS INC. No material from the magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Despite the care taken in reviewing editorial content, Apex Publications Inc. cannot guarantee that all written information is complete and accurate. Consequently, Apex Publications Inc. assumes no responsibility concerning any error and/or omission.

Growing up and travelling around Canada within the Canadian military community, Tim Van Horn was hooked on movement and cultural experiences, which led him to embark on a lifetime

Publications Mail - Agreement No.: 40010196 171 St. Paul Street, Suite 102, Quebec, QC Canada G1K 3W2 PRINTED IN CANADA

journey as a photojournalist. He is the initiator of the Canadian Mosaic Project. canadianmosaic.ca

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EDITORIAL June/July 2015, Volume 40, Number 4 hat is most important in your life? For me, it’s the people I love: my spouse, my family and my friends. And then there are all those connections that could be described as acquaintances, like the people I’ve crossed paths with through my work or those I meet through various day-to-day activities. I’ve come to realize that these relationships are much more important than they might seem. These people are actually the ones who help me reach beyond my world, linking me to the rest of humanity. If I try to imagine lines connecting all of us together, with me somewhere at the centre, I get a mental picture that enlarges my vision of community.

There is a theory that there are only six degrees of separation between anyone on the planet. We probably won’t meet many of our 4th-, 5th- or 6th-degree connections, but by reaching out to our friends, the friends of our friends, and even those people’s friends, we get a pretty wide community. And if we were to use this interwoven web of connections as a springboard to learn from and inspire each other, imagine what great things we could achieve together! The photographic community in Canada is alive and kicking. Reach out—through a photo club, a photo contest or our Facebook page—and I guarantee you will benefit from it…and so will the photo community! Will you learn to be a better photographer? It would be hard not to. But more importantly, you will connect with people and make new discoveries.

Valérie Racine Editorial Director

© Tim Van Horn

With this issue, we announce the results of the Best of Photo Clubs competition and launch the new edition of The World We Live In photo contest. We also share the story of Tim Van Horn’s photographic road trip across Canada. What do these things have in common?

They all are ways of developing community.

Tim Van Horn is working to connect with a whole bunch of strangers across the nation. Photo clubs are an excellent opportunity to gather with other people who love photography and to learn together. And photo contests allow us to reach out beyond ourselves by sharing our work with the greater community.

© niCK TrEHEarnE

W

COMING UP

THE WILDLIFE ISSUE Behind the Image Ian McAllister Plan and organize your wildlife-photography trip How to make animals comfortable with your presence Deciphering lens elements (ED, SLD, etc.)

Gear selection Remote accessories The lowdown on the latest gear Gadget Guide

LIKE PHOTO LIFE FACEBOOK.COM/PHOTOLIFEMAG 6

JUNE/JULY 2015

PHOTO LIFE

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EXPOSURE

© anUraG KUmar

[what’s on]

© HariSH CHaVDa

© arUna BHaT

1st Prize - Life in Colour

© rUDoi VLaDimiroViCH

Grand Prize - Life in Colour

1st Prize - General

1st Prize - Faces (Black and White)

HIPA: LIFE IN COLOUR Hamdan bin mohammed bin rashid al maktoum international photography award (Hipa) has announced the winners of the contest’s fourth year, which had the theme Life in Colour. photographer anurag Kumar from india received the grand-prize award of US$120,000 for his image of Holi, india’s festival of colours. Twenty-two other photographers were awarded with prize money totalling US$400,000. among the honoured photographers were Sebastião Salgado, who won the photography appreciation award, and Scott Kelby, who was recognized with the photographic research/report award. next year’s main theme is Happiness. The contest is free and open for submissions through December 31, 2015. hipa.ae

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EXPOSURE PHOTO LIFE

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EXPOSURE [what’s on]

© EDwarD BUrTynSKy

NEW PHOTO EXHIBITIONS AT WHYTE MUSEUM from June 14 to october 18, the whyte museum of the Canadian rockies in Banff is featuring two photography exhibitions. Legacy in Time: Rephotography by Henry Vaux Jr. is a collection of images taken by Henry Vaux Jr. and his ancestors at the same locations over the last century. These photographs reveal how glaciers, waterfalls, mountains and lakes have changed over time due to climate change.

Though photography, video, installations and paintings from the early 19th century to today, Water Eau 水 Mînî पानी Wasser ‫םימ‬ Acqua ‫ یناپ‬Tubig H2O explores imagery of water, promoting reflection on how to protect this essential natural resource. whyte.org © HEnry VaUx Jr.

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EXPOSURE PHOTO LIFE

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PHOTO LIFE & PHOTO SOLUTION PRESENT THEIR

21ST ANNUAL

3 THEMES HUMANITY ENVIRONMENT INTERCONNECTIONS

PHOTO CONTEST THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

WHY ENTER THE PRIZES THE CHALLENGE THE RECOGNITION

A GRAND-PRIZE CRUISE PLUS MORE THAN $50,000 IN FABULOUS PRIZES

ENTER NOW! PHOTOLIFE.COM/TWWLI

ONLINE

PL_JULY15.qxp_Photo Life Jan 2005 2015-05-01 2:13 PM Page 20

PHOTO LIFE & PHOTO SOLUTION PRESENT THEIR

21 ST ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST THE WORLD WE LIVE IN A GRAND PRIZE WORTH MORE THAN $16,000!

Grand Prize................................................................................................................................$16,712 2016 Heart of the Arctic expedition, July 11-23, with Adventure Canada ...................................................................$16,000 Kite Optics Toucan 10 x 42 binoculars .......................................................................................................................$537 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ...................................................................................................................$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................................................................................................................$75

Humanity

Environment

Interconnections

1st Prize.......................................................$3,244 Sony α7 II with FE 28-70 mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS zoom .....$2,299 Sekonic L-478D LiteMeter .........................................$399 Blackrapid Sport Camera Strap ................................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 B+W 55-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$82 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 illumi 107-cm 5-In-One Reflector Kit ..........................$70

1st Prize.......................................................$3,245 Sony α7 II with FE 28-70 mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS zoom .....$2,299 Lowepro DryZone 200 Backpack .............................$400 Blackrapid Sport Camera Strap ................................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 B+W 55-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$82 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 illumi 107-cm 5-In-One Reflector Kit ..........................$70

1st Prize.......................................................$3,245 Sony α7 II with FE 28-70 mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS zoom .....$2,299 Lowepro Pro Roller x200 AW Black ..........................$400 Blackrapid Sport Camera Strap ................................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 B+W 55-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$82 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 illumi 107-cm 5-In-One Reflector Kit ..........................$70

2nd Prize......................................................$2,301 Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens ........$700 Kite Optics Toucan 10 x 42 binoculars .......................$537 Lowepro Rover Pro 35L ...........................................$309 MeFoto RoadTrip Travel Tripod Kit - Red ...................$260 B+W 62-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$130 Blackrapid Sport Camera Strap ................................$120 Gift Certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 illumi 45" Umbrella - White with Black........................$70

2nd Prize......................................................$2,291 Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens ........$700 Kite Optics Toucan 10 x 42 binoculars .......................$537 MeFoto RoadTrip Travel Tripod Kit - Red ...................$260 Lowepro DryZone Duffle 20L ....................................$150 Slik Pro 340BH Tripod ...............................................$149 B+W 62-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$130 Blackrapid Sport Camera Strap ................................$120 Gift Certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 illumi 45" Umbrella - White with Black........................$70

2nd Prize......................................................$2,324 Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens ........$700 Kite Optics Toucan 10 x 42 binoculars .......................$537 MeFoto RoadTrip Travel Tripod Kit - Red ...................$260 PocketWizard PlusX (2-Pack) ....................................$200 Hoya 77-mm Pro ND 100 filter ...................................$132 B+W 62-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$130 Blackrapid Sport Camera Strap ................................$120 Gift Certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 illumi 45" Umbrella - White with Black........................$70

3rd Prize ......................................................$1,883 Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens ........$700 Datacolor Spyder5PRO......................................................$239 PocketWizard PlusX (2-Pack) ....................................$200 Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L AW ................................$170 B+W 62-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$130 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible Speed Mount.......$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 illumi 107-cm 5-In-One Reflector Kit ..........................$70

3rd Prize......................................................$1,883 Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens ........$700 Datacolor Spyder5PRO......................................................$239 PocketWizard PlusX (2-Pack) ....................................$200 Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L AW ................................$170 B+W 62-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$130 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible Speed Mount.......$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 illumi 107-cm 5-In-One Reflector Kit ..........................$70

3rd Prize......................................................$1,885 Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens ........$700 Datacolor Spyder5PRO......................................................$239 Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L AW ................................$170 Hoya 77-mm Pro ND 100 filter ...................................$132 B+W 62-mm XS-PRO Clear MRC 007 filter ................$130 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible Speed Mount.......$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 Joby Pro Sling Strap..................................................$70 illumi 107-cm 5-In-One Reflector Kit ..........................$70

4th Prize ......................................................$1,323 Adobe Creative Cloud 1-year Subscription ...............$599 MeFoto RoadTrip Travel Tripod Kit - Blue...........................$260 Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22L.................................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 Joby Pro Sling Strap..................................................$70

4th Prize ......................................................$1,323 Adobe Creative Cloud 1-year Subscription ...............$599 MeFoto RoadTrip Travel Tripod Kit - Blue...........................$260 Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22L.................................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 Joby Pro Sling Strap..................................................$70

4th Prize ......................................................$1,323 Adobe Creative Cloud 1-year Subscription ...............$599 MeFoto RoadTrip Travel Tripod Kit - Blue...........................$260 Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22L.................................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Henry's Learning Lab Productivity & Creativity 1-yr Sub ..$99 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 Joby Pro Sling Strap..................................................$70

5th Prize ......................................................$1,014 Manfrotto Befree Tripod............................................$260 Tenba DNA 11 Graphite Messenger ....................................$180 Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro Lighting System ...........$129 Manfrotto Advanced Tri-Backpack............................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom + Ballhead .......................$80 One-year Awesome account with 500px..........................$75 illumi 45" Umbrella - White with Black........................$70

5th Prize ......................................................$1,014 Manfrotto Befree Tripod............................................$260 Tenba DNA 11 Graphite Messenger ....................................$180 Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro Lighting System ...........$129 Manfrotto Advanced Tri-Backpack............................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom + Ballhead .......................$80 One-year Awesome account with 500px..........................$75 illumi 45" Umbrella - White with Black........................$70

5th Prize ......................................................$1,014 Manfrotto Befree Tripod............................................$260 Tenba DNA 11 Graphite Messenger ....................................$180 Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro Lighting System ...........$129 Manfrotto Advanced Tri-Backpack............................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom + Ballhead .......................$80 One-year Awesome account with 500px..........................$75 illumi 45" Umbrella - White with Black........................$70

6th Prize ......................................................$835 Manfrotto Befree Tripod............................................$260 Manfrotto Advanced Tri-Backpack............................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible Speed Mount.......$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px..........................$75 Mantis 2.0M Travel Light Stand..................................$70 Lowepro TopLoader Zoom 55 AW ll ...................................$60 Sandisk Extreme Plus 16GB SD Memory Card...........$50

6th Prize ......................................................$835 Manfrotto Befree Tripod............................................$260 Manfrotto Advanced Tri-Backpack............................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible Speed Mount.......$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px..........................$75 Mantis 2.0M Travel Light Stand..................................$70 Lowepro TopLoader Zoom 55 AW ll ...................................$60 Sandisk Extreme Plus 16GB SD Memory Card...........$50

6th Prize ......................................................$835 Manfrotto Befree Tripod............................................$260 Manfrotto Advanced Tri-Backpack............................$120 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible Speed Mount.......$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px..........................$75 Mantis 2.0M Travel Light Stand..................................$70 Lowepro TopLoader Zoom 55 AW ll ...................................$60 Sandisk Extreme Plus 16GB SD Memory Card...........$50

7th Prize ......................................................$623 Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Elements....................$149 Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro Lighting System ...........$129 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 Mantis 2.0M Travel Light Stand..................................$70 Joby UltraFit Sling Strap ............................................$50 Sandisk Extreme Plus 16GB SD Memory Card...........$50

7th Prize ......................................................$623 Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Elements....................$149 Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro Lighting System ...........$129 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 Mantis 2.0M Travel Light Stand..................................$70 Joby UltraFit Sling Strap ............................................$50 Sandisk Extreme Plus 16GB SD Memory Card...........$50

7th Prize ......................................................$623 Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Elements....................$149 Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro Lighting System ...........$129 Gift certificate for Photobooks by Pikto ....................$100 One-year Awesome account with 500px ..................$75 Mantis 2.0M Travel Light Stand..................................$70 Joby UltraFit Sling Strap ............................................$50 Sandisk Extreme Plus 16GB SD Memory Card...........$50

ONLINE

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VISION

THE STORY OF VIVIAN MAIER THE FIRST MAJOR PHOTO DISCOVERY OF THE 21ST CENTURY

BY STEPHEN BULGER over the past eight years, photographs by a woman named Vivian maier have taken the photo world by storm. in fact, scores of people not normally interested in photography are familiar with her unusual story. This sad tale of an intensely private woman encompasses a wide range of topics: hidden talents, 50s and 60s americana, auction-house finds, unknown intentions and/or restrictions, copyright debates and a plethora of great photographs.

HER LIFE Through the images Vivian Maier left behind and some serious sleuthing by many, some details about her life have been pieced together. Born in New York on February 1, 1926, to a French mother, Maria Jaussaud, and an Austrian father, Charles Maier, Vivian Maier spent some childhood years and, later, some young-adult years in France.

She lived with her mother; her father appears to have been mostly absent. There has been no trace of her brother, Charles, since the mid-1950s. At the age of four, Maier and her mother lived with a successful photographer named Jeanne Bertrand. It is assumed by many that this relationship helps explain Maier’s interest in photography.

HIGHLAND PARK, IL (SELF-PORTRAIT, BEDROOM MIRROR), JanUary 1965 Š ViVian maiEr, CoUrTESy STEpHEn BULGEr GaLLEry CoLLECTion

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In the late 1950s, Maier returned to New York City from France and worked a variety of jobs until she was hired as a nanny by the Gensburg family. She moved to the affluent North Shore suburbs of Chicago to live with them. Maier remained a fixture in that family for 16 years and then proceeded to work for a number of different families. Though usually seen wearing a Rolleiflex camera around her neck and taking pictures, it appears that Maier only shared a handful of her photographs with a few of her subjects. The fact that she left behind a secret collection totalling approximately 150,000 images is a testament to her success at achieving privacy. In her later years, some of the Gensburgs reconnected with Maier and helped her pay for living expenses, but they never pried into her personal life or possessions. Those who knew her suggest that as she aged,

JUNE/JULY 2015

VISION PHOTO LIFE

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BEST OF PHOTO CLUBS

2O15

we invited members of photo clubs across Canada to share their finest work with us; thank you to everyone who participated! we are proud to present the top images submitted to the 2015 Best of photo Clubs competition. Clubs were also invited to submit a short video about what makes their club unique; visit our website to see the winning video!

1

2

1. Dall Sheep Horns Darryl Robertson, Prospect, N.S., Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia 2. Snow Horse Jen St. Louis, Elmira, Ont., Grand River Imaging and Photographic Society

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VISION PHOTO LIFE

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VISION

WITHOUT THE FRAME

THE FLOCKS RETURN

THoUSanDS of animaLS wErE BEinG DriVEn HomE in THE EVEninG SUn, THroUGH DUST, anD iT woULD CULminaTE in THE BLowinG of HornS anD THE LiGHTinG of firES.

BY DAVID DUCHEMIN

in January 2013 i returned to Kenya to work for the Boma project, a client that has become important to me as an unparalleled creative collaborator. our work together takes us to the far north of Kenya, towards the Ethiopian border, where i document their work among nomadic pastoralists eking out a living in some of the most desperate and inhospitable places i’ve ever been.

T

You need to know all that backstory because it informed the kind of photographs I wanted to make and the way I made these photographs—which isn’t the only way, but it is a way that leads to deeper connections and opportunities that would otherwise be impossible to create as an outsider. These type of images underscore several responsibilities of a photographer: the need to talk to locals and be curious about their lives; the need to prioritize relationships (talk first, use camera second); and the need to be receptive, which I believe is the central work of any photographer.

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JUNE/JULY 2015

We arrived in Kargi, the hot desert town near which this image was made, late in the afternoon. We talked to contacts there and, through the dots and dashes of the Morse code that is cross-cultural communication, we slowly put the pieces together. There would be a festival that evening, and while it took a few more days to get all the details of its significance, we knew we had to change plans and get out to a smaller village to spend time photographing this festival, which included the return of the village’s flocks. Thousands of animals were being driven home in the evening sun, through dust, and it would culminate in the blowing of horns and the lighting of fires.

We showed up and met the elders. We laughed and talked, and slowly the herds came in. One of the elders, a man named Gabriel, befriended me. We stood there holding hands, talking through my friend and interpreter, Kura. And occasionally I made photographs, until more and more animals came, with their herders. Then I was lying in the dust here and there, looking for better perspectives, trying to juggle two cameras, and praying the sun would slow its descent and give me more time. I photographed the backlit scenes, staying out of the way of goats and camels as much as I could, and shot Gabriel a look now and then that tried to

niKon D800, 86 mm, 1/2000 S, f/8, iSo 400 © DaViD DUCHEmin

hey want more than photographs of kids with flies around their eyes, which works for me because I’ve been a humanitarian photographer working with the international NGO community on that very premise: that hope is a better story than despair, and that perpetuating stereotypes of poverty does no one any good in the long term.

So the body of work I am creating, as a long-term personal project and collaboration with them, is documentary in nature but also celebratory, because as rough as these people on the edges of the Kaisut and Chalbi Deserts have it, they are creative, lively and graceful people with an intimate relationship with the land on which they live.

VISION PHOTO LIFE

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VISION

THE CANADIAN MOSAIC PROJECT A PHOTOGRAPHER’S QUEST TO UNITE CANADA

BY TIM VAN HORN on Canada Day 2017 in Victoria, British Columbia, at mile zero of the Trans-Canada Highway, a forty-foot multimedia pavilion on wheels will launch out across the land on a 365-day tour broadcasting the beautiful story of who we are. The entire exterior surface of the Canada pavilion is a medley of 54,000 portraits, text and monitors, woven into a dynamic interactive experience that will educate, enlighten and encourage viewers of all ages. This will be the finale to my ten-year “creative tour of duty” across Canada.

© Tim Van Horn

A

Somehow I just seemed to know by age four that I wanted to be a “cameraman.”

I’m pretty sure the National Geographic magazines lying around the house had

Years later, not having lost sight of my childhood dream, I found myself studying photography at the Alberta College of Art, in Calgary. At nineteen I was influenced by the vision of early masters of photojournalism like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Dorothea Lange and W. Eugene Smith. These larger-than-life, selfless, adventurous humanitarians were

Each person adds a new dynamic to the mosaic, like this pair from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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© Tim Van Horn

s a boy growing up in the Canadian Air Force community, I naturally developed a sense of duty and a lust for change and cultural experiences.

something to do with planting this romantic notion of a photographer’s life of travel.

Lady Icicle creates masterpieces along the walls of the snow castle at the Snowking Winter Festival in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

VISION PHOTO LIFE

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TECHNIQUE

PUBLISHING A PHOTO BOOK

TRANSFORMING YOUR PORTFOLIO INTO A POWERFUL MARKETING TOOL

BY SCOTT LINSTEAD a printed book is still an effective tool for sharing photography with an audience. a self-published book for profit and for advancing one’s career is well within the grasp of the serious amateur photographer. here was a time when photographers could present a high-quality body of work to a publisher and have a book published. Sure, the

T

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publisher took the lion’s share of the profits, but there was still money to be made and there was no financial risk for the photographer. That business model

is all but dead now, with photography book-publishing deals reserved only for the very biggest names in photography. However, one aspect of the photo book that has not been lost during the last few decades is how powerful of a tool it is for the purpose of reaching an audience.

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PHOTO LIFE VISION

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TECHNIQUE

FAQ

BY JEAN-FRANÇOIS LANDRY in photography, we need all kinds of filters: UV filters, polarizing filters, infrared filters, solar filters, graduated filters, neutral filters, coloured filters... for a while now, we’ve heard a lot of talk about one filter in particular that’s right in front of a camera sensor: the low-pass filter. its purpose is to eliminate the moiré that appears when you photograph a surface with a fine, repetitive pattern. They’re in the headlines because their usefulness is now being questioned since they also cause a slight decrease in sharpness. Let’s look into it more.

WHAT’S MOIRÉ?

When you superimpose two repetitive patterns (a series of parallel lines, for example) with similar frequencies, with one pattern slightly rotated from the other, it’s common to see an odd wavy pattern that has nothing to do with reality.

This effect is called “moiré.”

AND WHAT’S A LOW-PASS FILTER? To get rid of this highly unpleasant peculiarity, camera manufacturers created a low-pass filter (also called an antialiasing filter) that they placed in front of

“Moiré? Big deal!” say certain landscape photographers who rarely encounter uniform patterns when shooting and who, nevertheless, have reduced sharpness in high frequencies (the veins of leaves, for example) with little compensation.

A PROBLEM THAT IS WORKING ITSELF OUT Over time, new technological advances have led to sensors with more and more

© JEan-françoiS LanDry

A camera sensor is made up of a grid of photosites that are uniformly spaced. I’ll

let you guess what happens when you try to capture a detailed, repetitive pattern like on certain fabrics, a screen or an architectural detail. Ah, yes: moiré!

the sensor. This filter, generally made of several layers of birefringent crystals, reduces the presence of high frequencies (a tightly woven fabric would be a highfrequency zone). The filter just makes them...blurry. It’s called a low-pass filter because only the low frequencies “pass” and reach the sensor, while the high frequencies are wiped out. (A totally blurred image wouldn’t have any frequency or repetitive patterns.) Thanks to the filter, the moiré doesn’t appear, but the image loses a little of its sharpness.

© JEan-françoiS LanDry

LOW-PASS FILTERS THEIR USEFULNESS AND THEIR RECENT REMOVAL

For each lens, there is a specific distance (down to the centimetre) between the camera and the subject where the sensor’s grid aligns perfectly with fabric’s pattern and creates a moiré effect like you see here.

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TECHNIQUE PHOTO LIFE

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DIGITAL WORKFLOW

PRINTING TIPS FOR BETTER OUTPUTS

GooD iS no LonGEr GooD EnoUGH for many prinTmaKErS, HowEVEr. THE CoLoUr GamUT (or ranGE) DEfinED By SrGB iS proVinG To BE Too SmaLL for THE LaTEST imaGinG DEViCES.

LEARN THE DANCE BETWEEN PRINTER, PAPER AND COMPUTER

BY DAVID TANAKA it seems so simple. The photo looks great on your computer screen.

That special fine-art paper you bought is just awesome. you hit print and—disappointment. what happened? printmaking is a dance between printer, paper and computer. for the best performance, you need to channel your inner Bob fosse.

SPREADING THE SPECTRUM Your computer uses a colour engine, either built into the operating system or from another source, like the Adobe Color

they remain as consistent as possible, regardless of where the file ends up. It needs to do this because the input sources like your camera and the output destinations like your monitor and printer have their own way of interpreting colour. Each also has limits to the range of colours it can express.

Engine (ACE). The colour engine works with a vast theoretical colour model. Its job is to manage the colours coming into and going out of the computer so that

© DaViD TanaKa

A couple of decades ago Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft set out to solve this problem and came up with Standard RGB, or sRGB. It’s still with us today and remains central to most consumer electronics, computing and the Internet. Serving as a generic onesize-fits-all standard, sRGB ensures good colour without the need to calibrate every consumer product on the planet that works with colour.

This is soft proofing in Lightroom 5. The X-Y display option is enabled showing two variations of this B.C. rainforest photo. On the left is what you would normally see when you work in Lightroom’s Develop module. On the right is a soft proof of my Stylus Pro 3880’s output on Epson Velvet Fine Art paper. (Epson Radiant White Watercolor looks nearly the same.) The red overlay indicates areas that are out of gamut for this paper.

Good is no longer good enough for many printmakers, however. The colour gamut (or range) defined by sRGB is proving to be too small for the latest imaging devices. Early inkjet printers used four ink colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Today’s photo inkjets add variations of these as separate inks (typically light cyan, light magenta, and one or two lighter shades of grey). Some even have separate inks for primary and secondary colours (red and green, for example).

This not only means you get more vibrant and saturated colours, but also the ability to express differences of hue better, often edging beyond the colour gamut of sRGB.

The soft proof also shows that the image printed on this paper will have noticeably less contrast. The soft proof of harder papers (Epson’s Premium Lustre and Premium Glossy) tell a different story. They hold contrast better and show only a very few dots of red, mostly in the deep shadows. The overall look is very close to the image on the left.

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Likewise Raw-format images captured by modern cameras exceed the gamut of sRGB. The take-away from this would GEAR PHOTO LIFE

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TH THE 25 TIPA AWARDS THE 2015 WINNING PHOTO AND IMAGING PRODUCTS as a member of the Technical imaging press association (Tipa), this past march photo Life joined the other 27 leading photo and imaging magazines from 15 countries on five continents in Dubai to vote for the most outstanding photo and imaging products announced during the previous 12 months. Here are some of the award-winning products; visit our blog for the complete 2015 Tipa awards list and product descriptions!

BEST ENTRY-LEVEL DSLR NIKON D5500

BEST ADVANCED DSLR PENTAX K-S2

BEST EXPERT DSLR CANON EOS 7D MARK II

The D5500 is a lightweight, compact DX-format DSLR (APS-C) that contains a 24.2-MP CMOS sensor and can deliver up to 5 frames per second at full resolution and Full HD video with a choice of four different frames-per-second rates, from 24p to 60p. The ISO sensitivity range is between 100 and 25,600. This is the first Nikon DSLR with a Vari-angle touch-screen 3.2-inch LCD. Using Nikon’s wireless app, users can connect the camera to a compatible smartphone or tablet wirelessly with no hot spot needed. For capturing action, the top shutter speed is 1/4000 s.

Numerous creative modes allow the user to personalize each image’s look and style.

The Pentax K-S2 features a 20-MP CMOS sensor without a low-pass filter. It has a weather- and dust-resistant body, offers an optical pentaprism (100% field of view), and is the first Pentax DSLR with a Vari-angle LCD (3 in., 921,000 dots). The compact body incorporates a Shake Reduction (SR) mechanism and can handle all new and many older Pentax lenses, albeit some require an adapter. The K-S2 can deliver a top shutter speed of 1/6000 s with a continuous shooting rate of up to 5 fps. Creative functions include multi exposure, interval shooting, an advanced HDR mode, Full HD video, and built-in Wi-Fi with a dedicated app for transferring images and for wireless tethered shooting.

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a weather- and dust-resistant magnesium-alloy body, a 20.2-MP APS-C CMOS sensor, and dual DIGIC 6 processors. The camera features a 10-fps shooting rate, a 65-point (all cross-type) AF system and a 100% field-of-view viewfinder.

Exciting features include HDR and multi-exposure modes, an intervalometer, and a bulb timer for long-exposure capture. The camera has dual card slots for both SD and CF cards. To support Full HD video quality, it has Dual Pixel CMOS AF, a dedicated stereo microphone, and built-in headphone jack ports.

BEST PROFESSIONAL DSLR NIKON D810

BEST MEDIUM-FORMAT CAMERA PENTAX 645Z

This full-frame 36.3-MP DSLR includes a CMOS sensor without a low-pass filter. The camera can deliver up to 5 full-resolution fps with enhanced noise reduction in its ISO 64 to 12,800 range, which is expandable to ISO 32/51,200, and broadcast-quality video in Full HD. Nikon’s Scene Recognition System with the 91,000-pixel 3D Color Matrix Meter III provides balanced exposures even under difficult lighting conditions with exposure, AF, white balance and i-TTL flash control included in the mix. For videographers, the D810 offers an HDMI port, in-camera time-lapse and interval timer, a built-in stereo microphone with a selectable voice-frequency range, full-time AF and full-manual control.

The 51.4-MP CMOS sensor of the Pentax 645Z is about 1.7x larger than those found in full-frame DSLRs. It can deliver 3 fps with 10-image bursts in Raw and up to 30 in Large JPEG format. The tilting 3.2-inch LCD contains 1,037 million RGB dots and has an “anti-gapless” construction that reduces reflection and dispersion of light. There is also a large, bright optical finder. A newly designed SAFOX 11-phase-matching AF module contains 27 sensor points, including 25 cross-type sensors. When matched with a Live View function that can magnify the on-screen image, very precise focusing adjustments can be made. If desired, ISO sensitivity can be raised to an incredible 204,800.

BEST ENTRY-LEVEL CSC SONY α5100

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Dubbed a “super-compact” CSC, the Sony α5100 is about half the size of a conventional DSLR. The camera has a 24-MP APS-C CMOS sensor with the same gapless on-chip lens structure as the α7R. The camera delivers a very fast 0.07-second AF acquisition time, with up to 6-fps continuous shooting with AF tracking, aided by the 179-point phasedetection AF sensor. There are numerous video options: Full HD in cinematic 24p, 60p and 60i frame rates; selectable in-camera XAVC S with a 50 MB/s bit rate; Blu-Ray quality AVCHD; and MP4 codecs—all with HDMI connectivity. The camera also delivers an impressive ISO range of 100 to 25,600.

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IMAGING PRODUCTS REVIEW THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT’S NEW

BY PETER K. BURIAN Now that it feels like summer in most of Canada, it’s worth taking the time to inspect and evaluate your current equipment. Is it still meeting all of your needs or is it time to upgrade your camera, lens or carrying case in time for the most active season for photography? Some of the following new products should certainly allow for more effective image-making. If anyone in your family is active in sports, one of the new compact-system cameras would be particularly useful, since these offer fast—or incredibly fast, in some cases—continuous drive for capturing a series of action photos.

PENTAX K3 II Retaining the well-sealed magnesium-alloy chassis and the best of the 24.35-MP K3, this v. II model benefits from an improved image stabilizer with a 4.5-step benefit, superior high-speed Tracking AF, built-in GPS, automatic horizon correction and a gyro sensor. The built-in flash has been removed, but a multi-shot Pixel Shift “super high-resolution” system has been added for images with better high-ISO quality and full-colour recording at every pixel.

• • • • • • • •

3.2” (1.037-million-dot) LCD 100% optical viewfinder 8.3-fps continuous drive Astrotracer for astrophotography Wi-Fi with optional FluCard 27-point (25 cross-type) AF Low-pass filter simulator Full HD Movie with overrides

• • • • • • •

Wi-Fi NFC and Snapbridge connectivity ISO expansion to 102,400 Magnesium-alloy body Full-HD 60p video Can record to external drive Port for external mic Accepts wireless mic

$1250 (list) ricoh-imaging.ca

NIKON D7200 Nikon’s first DSLR with Wi-Fi and NFC for simplified connectivity to a smart device, this 24.2-MP DX camera excludes the low-pass filter for maximum per-pixel sharpness and offers many amenities for serious movie making. Other benefits include a 3.2” (1,229,000-dot) LCD, 6-fps drive (7 fps in 1.3x crop mode), the latest 51-point AF system, 2,016-pixel metering and fast EXPEED 4 processor for shooting up to 100 Large/Fine JPEGs or 27 Raw files in a single burst.

$1200, body only; $1750, with 18-140 mm VR lens (street) nikon.ca

NIKON 1 J5 This 20.8-MP CSC, with an LCD that can be rotated 180°, provides a drive speed of 20 fps with continuous AF (60 fps with fixed focus), making it ideal for sports. Autofocus should be very effective with 171-point contrastdetection and 105-point phase-detection technology. Removing the BSI-CMOS sensor’s low-pass filter ensures fine image quality; the J5 can also shoot both 4K and Full HD 60p movies.

• • • • • • • •

Wi-Fi NFC and Snapbridge connectivity 3” (1,037,000-dot) touch-screen LCD LCD can face forward P, A, S, M and Auto modes All important overrides Many creative filter options UHD 2160p/15 video Lightweight body (265 g)

$600, with 10-30 mm VR Power Zoom lens (list) nikon.ca

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