AUGUST 2009
AUGUST 2009
Editor’s Comment
4
Readers Comments
4
We want to hear from you magazine@photocomment.net
Scoop
6
Cover Image: Sleepwalkers Paul Shiakallis
All about what is happening in the photographic world locally and internationally
Professional Portfolio 8 Paul Shiakallis
Technique
12
How to use fill flash effectively
Feature
14
PhotoWalking
Reader Portfolio
16
Phillip Botha
Review
20
Sony Cybershot DSC-TX1
Final Comment
23
Founder: Tristan Hall Editor: Wilhelmus Moller Design & Layout: Greg Wrench Contact: magazine@photocomment.net
photocomment
Š 2009
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Whilst all care and attention is employed to ensure the legitimacy, accuracy and correctness of the information, data, texts, images, ideas, photographs and opinions expressed herein, PHOTOCOMMENT cannot be held responsible or liable in any way whatsoever for the content as it appears herein. Similarly, PHOTOCOMMENT makes no express or implied warranty or representation as to the proprietorship or intellectual property inherent in the images and photographs published herein and which it has commissioned for use from external sources on good faith dealing. Accordingly, PHOTOCOMMENT is hereby indemnified, defended and held harmless against all claims, liability, damages, costs and expenses in regard thereto.
Editor’s Comment
L
et us kick off this August edition of
about balanced fill flash in our technique feature
PhotoComment with an apology. As a loyal
and read more about the inner workings of the
reader of PhotoComment you will have noticed
mind of Paul Shiakallis the featured professional
that I have been conspicuously absent in the June
portfolio for this month. Expect to see more from
and July issue. A combination of bad luck bad
this dude in future. Our reader’s portfolio by
planning and road accidents have seen me move
Phillip Botha leaves us thinking about the true
towns, been hospitalised and otherwise occupied
nature of creativity in an increasingly automated
as not to be available to write in June and July.
and fast passed world as we review the
All that is in the past though and I look forward
automated Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1
to taking a greater part in PhotoComment
Enjoy your August edition of Photocomment and
henceforth.
as always we welcome your feedback at
Our scoop section belongs to Nikon and they
magazine@photocomment.net
have, among many other new releases, a compact
The Editor
camera that doubles as a projector. Read more
Quotes
T
he enemy of photography is the convention, the fixed rules of 'how to do'. The salvation of photography comes from the experiment. – Anonymous
W
hen people ask what equipment I use - I tell them
my eyes. – Anonymous
J
esus opened my eyes, as the camera opened my heart to see all of the beauty this world has to behold. – Anonymous
I
t's not the camera, but who's behind the camera. – Anonymous
All quotes in this issue were extracted from www.photoquotes.com
Win Stand a chance to win by contributing to our Readers Letters section. Camera Stabilising Bag sponsored by Tandem Focus Distributors
Readers Comments TANDEM
We welcome feedback about what you think of PhotoComment Magazine. Your stories, experiences, questions, inspirations, are all welcome and can be sent to magazine@photocomment.net enter “Letters” as the subject. Each month we will publish some of your feedback.
? The famous Gary Fong Lightsphere UNIVERSAL - fits almost ANY oncamera flash! ? The grip is so strong that it can support the entire weight of a camera, drive and flash securely. ? Attaches with patent pending grip system - WILL NOT FALL OFF! ? Includes translucent white dome, and accepts full line of Lightsphere Accessory Domes - AmberDome & ChromeDome. ? Available single diffuser with dome or in MONEY SAVING kits that contain everything you need to produce studio-quality lighting with your on-camera flash - without a bracket!
Odrinary Flash
With Gary Fong Lightsphere-II
Available Now From
Nikon announces an upgrade to the D300, a replacement for the O so popular D60, an upgrade to the popular 18-200 and a fresh
Nikon D300s
take on the brilliant 70-200 and a camera from
F
Nikon that doubles as a projector? Sweet!
or those of you who own a Nikon D300 you know how effective and reliable they are and an upgrade to a Nikon
D300s might be your next logical step in the price bracket. So let us consider what is new in the s-ed version. The most notable feature is that The Nikon D300s can record video in full High Definition Multimedia Interface with auto focus in the movie mode. It even has an external microphone input for clear stereo recording. Ok with the optional MB-D10 vertical grip you still get 8 fps and with only the supplied ENEL3e battery you get an additional 1 frame at 7 fps continuous shooting. The sensor is the same at 12.3 mega pixels but you are given an extra SD memory card slot besides the CF card slot to either back up or store more images. Nikon have brought back the Continuous Silent mode found on the F4 and
Nikon Coolpix S1000pj
F5 of the film era, which makes for a quieter shutter and
O
n the 4th of August Nikon announced the world’s first
mirror reflex. Especially handy when shooting in those tense
compact digital camera with a built in projector in the
moments where stealth is paramount like in the wild. It also
form of the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj.
has an impressive lifespan of up to 150 000 releases. If this s
Now those who know me personally will be quick to tell you
does what the D70s did for the D70 then it will definitely have
that I’m not a huge van of digital, I don’t care much for
a place in the photographic market.
compact cameras (unless it carries a LOMO badge) and I am most certainly not impressed by gadgets and doodads. But this little marvel from Nikon has me itching to be proven wrong The S1000pj sports a 12.1 mega pixel sensor, 5X optical zoom and 2,7” LCD screen. The built in projector projects an astounding10 lumens up to 40” (1.03m) wide 2 meters far. The supplied wireless remote control not only controls the projector and slide show settings but also the shutter release. Entertaining slideshow effects will keep the family and kids happy. The S1000pj will be available in Black and warm silver. It utilizes optical lens shift VR and other stabilising features, like 6400 ISO to produce great images under low light conditions (although 3200 and 6400 ISO images will be smaller than 3meg – bummer!). Nikon has given the digital camera consumer something to look forward to and if the price is right this sceptic will gladly get one. So everyone gather round for the infamous vacation slide show, because there’re back.
GetPix Masquerade fundraising Ball and Vision Awards
I
f you fancy a black tie masked ball in aid of charity then diarise the 12th of September 2009 for the Getpix masquerade. Getpix is a professional photographic training centre that offers a wide variety of courses to the total beginner right up to the practising photographer wanting to learn more about web design and Photoshop. The aim of this years benefit is to trump the R35 900.00 raised at last year’s event. The money raised at the 2009 event goes to the South African Guide dogs Association and Retina South Africa – Fighting Blindness. The masquerade also coincides with The Vision awards, an awards ceremony for the students of Getpix and will take place at Emperors Palace from 6pm until midnight at the NCC Conference centre. Tickets cost R300.00 p/p and you can obtain tickets by emailing Clarissa Fletcher at clarissa@getpix.co.za or call them at +27 (0) 11 425 1768
The Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200 mm f3,5-5,6G ED VRII and the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f2,8G ED VRII
T
here are very few changes to the 18-200 and the most notable is the new VRII motor,
offering an equivalent increase in shutter speed of 4 stops and a zoom lock switch that
numerous users of the old lens craved. The zoom barrel took a lot of wear and tear on the old design so that has also been reengineered to have less play. The new 70 – 200 on the other hand has been improved to give edge to edge aberration free images on the new FX format cameras, a problem that showed itself in the first 70200, only when Nikon started to introduce their full frame cameras. The new optical design utilizes seven count it seven ED glass elements and Nano Crystal Coating unique to Nikon to reduce ghosting and flare. Also new is the A/M focusing mode that gives auto focus priority even if the focus ring is being handled for manual focus. (Mmm that sounds a lot like the M/A mode already available. I hope they don’t charge extra for it)
Flatlands
Boarding House
F
hose of you who follow the work of Roger Ballen need not be informed that his latest exhibition entitled Boarding House opened at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery on the 29th of July and will run until the 22nd of August. Ballen’s work is a strange mix and one can never quite grasp if it is documentary or surrealistic art when looking at it. Like a dream the images from Boarding House takes one into the mindscapes of Roger Ballen. As he rightly says: “It is difficult to explain this place except that I think it exists in some way or another in most peoples mind.” The UJ Art gallery hours are: Monday to Friday 09:00 – 18:00, Saturday 09:00 – 13:00 and it is closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.
or those of you living in Cape Town or lucky enough to be travelling to Cape Town often the AVA (Association for Visual Arts in 35 Church street) will be opening a solo exhibition by Marc Shoul. The exhibition entitled Flatlands opens on the 17th of August and will run until the 4th of September 2009. It is a contemporary look into the diverse population of Johannesburg comprising every nationality in Africa. The title of Shoul’s exhibition draws on the countless apartments or ‘flats’ of the inner city that house the subjects of his work. People, that are all: “searching for ‘gold’ in one form or another” as Shoul puts it. Please Contact the AVA to arrange viewing outside the opening dates at +27 21 424 7436 or on art@ava.co.za
T
Nikon D3000
C
oming in as Nikon’s
cheapest digital SLR. The D3000
sensor compared to the 3 point auto
replacement model for both the
doesn’t have any movie or live view
focus system of the D60. Unfortunately
Nikon D40 and D60 the Nikon D3000
capabilities and is essentially a “souped
the battery has changed to an EN-EL9a
promises to be a value for money
up” D60 with the same 10,2 mega pixel
and the rule of thumb is usually that the
entry-level machine and Nikon’s
DX format CCD sensor and all the nice
new battery will be backwards
in camera editing goodies that the
compatible but the old EN-EL9 will
inexperienced rookie has become
not be forward compatible. It promises
accustomed to. Including a guide
to be a stunner for the first time buyer
setting that helps the novice
but if you have grown and learnt more
photographer make decisions on
bear in mind it will still only
camera settings and professional
accommodate DX format lenses and
tweaks. It sports an impressive 3” wide
won’t have cool things like commander
LCD screen, an 11point auto focus
mode from the built in flash.
PAUL SHIAKALLIS
B
orn in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1982 to parents of
Cypriot descent. His mother taught him the cash register
“In everything I shoot I try to extract the
ate age 10 and at age 15 his father taught him the intricacies of his
beautiful out of the ugly and the surreal out of
Canon FT QL, manual SLR. His first photographs were of flowers in the garden. Paul was Greenside high school’s official
the real. I focus my attention on detail. All
sport and function photographer for the school magazine. After a
subject matter falling within the frame needs
year at Rand Afrikaans University studying journalism he
to be treated as if it was the main subject of the
discovered and fell in love with Pretoria Tech (TUT) arts campus. Within 3 years he says: “I found my friends and I found
shot. I capture what everyone sees and evolve
myself.” He was the permanent assistant to Mark Lanning
it to what we dream. My life needs to be
Photography in JHB from 2004-2006 opening his path to conceptual advertising and editorial photography. Mark also mentored him in the business of “professionalism” for 18 months. Currently Paul is shooting professionally. Through art he became infatuated by detail and this shows in imagery that is captivating and haunting at times. Every photograph seems to have been woven together from threads of memory and experience to form a tapestry of light, colours and mixed emotions. You can view more of Paul’s work on the following websites www.18thirty9.co.za or www.paulshiakallis.blogspot.com
recorded and photography is a form of balance in my life.”
PAUL SHIAKALLIS
PC: Where is Paul Shiakallis going, in the abstract sense, in the next 12 months? PS: “In the year to come, expect a similar subject matter, a similar style, but a different approach.”
“I am no longer passionate about photography only obsessed with it.”
All my photo series start of with me looking into myself. What do I like? Who do I know? I like trees at night; I like being alone; elders, their mannerisms and their homes fascinate me. A new project evolves from the previous one. The most beautiful thing is watching someone in his or her environment; yet the most difficult thing for me is to enter that environment without disturbing that beauty. I’m planning to look deeper; to find a Paul Shiakallis that previously would have hidden from confrontation.”
PAUL SHIAKALLIS
PC: Do you feel threatened by the masses of inexperienced
you photograph them for a day for no pay. ‘The Gramophone’,
photographers entering the professional market of late?
‘The Bird Shrine’ and ‘The Grandfather clock’ are Greeks in their
PS: “I have always believed in the statement: “its not what you
homes. I shot them in their own homes, with their own furniture.
know but who you know”. Having said that, in a sense I do
Their environment was arranged as a form of still life, where
feel threatened in some cases. If I ever feel intimidated, I
every piece of furniture becomes as important as the next. I
know that I have to up my game and just work harder for it.
remember visiting them on family outings and being fascinated
The current recession may be advantageous in that it’s
by the authenticity of their environment, this is what created my
resetting the market; its slowly throwing out the scraps.”
need to record it.”
PC: The series ‘Portraits of a Still Life’ has an immense
PC: You say you are obsessed with photography. Do you wake up
personal tone. Do you know the subjects intimately?
in cold sweats in the mornings screaming “F8 you lunatic F8”?
PS: “Yes, they are family friends. It was important that I knew
PS: “Its true, I do dream about it. I have these epic dreams where
my subjects, because it is uncommon for a stranger to allow
I’m driving along, and I come across the most perfect shaft of
you to come into their home, rearrange their furniture, and let
light striking the most perfect group of elderly folk. I cruise home
PAUL SHIAKALLIS to get my camera; and I can’t find my film or my lens or I start doing illogical things like packing more cameras than I need, or packing clothes. By the time I get to the location, everything is gone. When I wake up, I feel so disappointed with myself. Those repetitive dreams are probably preparing me for the real thing.” PC: How do you maintain the professionalism that you acquired, in a price driven industry or is professionalism still valued more? PS: “I was lucky enough to assist the right people; I don’t know how to not be professional. To me, I think being professional, is about being reliable and trustworthy consistently on every job. You could have a lousy portfolio, but as long as your client is happy and they keep coming back to you, you can be as lousy as you want. Advertising companies tend to value professionalism and experience over some guy with a pretty portfolio & low rates. Great pictures may attract clients, but they don’t keep them.” PC: Ok in all honesty without worrying about stepping on anyone’s toes film or digital? PS: “I still shoot some of my personal projects on film. I like the fact that I have a limited amount of frames to perfect the shot. Film gives me the freedom to just shoot and enjoy the real moment. I used a TLR for my ‘family of strangers’ series. I could never have gotten that effect and personal approach with a 35mm digital camera. I use digital mainly for crafting a shot. It’s mostly about what the camera can do in a specific situation, and not really about what medium is used. In terms of clarity, colour and exposure depth, definitely film.” PC: Nikon or Canon? PS: In the famous words of Basil Koufos “Hasselblad Baby!” [o]
TECHNIQUE
How to use fill flash effectively F
lash photography need not be limited to night or low light scenes, so it might come as a surprise to more experienced
photographers, that there are a lot of people who do not know how to use fill flash effectively. Fill flash is a term commonly used in portrait photography to imply a slight emission of light from a flash (usually half or quarter of the full power) on ones subject to illuminate them when a backlight or harsh midday light is adversely affecting the exposure or contrast. Although many modern dedicated TTL (Though the lens metering) flashes are available with a multitude of balanced fill light and power output options, it is still invaluable to know why, when and how to use your flash for balanced fill light. Shooting portraits in open mid-day light causes harsh contrast as the light from above creates pronounced separation between highlight and shadow detail. Contrasting light also tends to desaturate skin tones in highlight and mid tone areas. One can counter act this effect by filling the shadow areas with a balanced fill light. Backlight causes it’s own set of exposure problems. You may correctly expose your subject by metering in spot metering mode but at the expense of the background, which will
Useful tips for the beginner
overexpose and one usually ends up with a slow shutter speed and subsequent blurry images. Again Fill flash can come to the rescue. Centre weighted metering renders the opposite effect, suggesting a fast shutter speed thus underexposing the subject. In one of the accompanying photographs I used balanced fill light in a twilight scene only to increase my shutter speed but maintain the effect of evening in the windowed background.
ü Familiarise yourself with the zone system a photographic religious teaching by Ansel Adams.
ü Soften your light with some form of
Bear in mind that the amount of light needed to expose a scene
diffusion over the flash but remember
shot at f/11 needs to be 4 times as intense to give the same
that one looses at least one stop of light
exposure when shot at f/5.6, inversely light intensity measured
through a diffuser.
at f/5.6 needs to be a quarter of the intensity to expose the same as it would when shot at f/11
ü Know your equipment by heart. Reading
If a midday scene measured with centre weighted metering on
the manual is not a mortal sin. You may
a camera reads 1/125 sec at f/11, ISO 100 the simple rule of
be surprised at what you learn.
thumb for a backlight situation is to set the flash to only
TECHNIQUE produce a quarter of the power that the flash is able to produce. This translates to an output of f/5.6 indicated on the flash at the same ISO. Remember that if the flash is ‘fooled’ into believing that the lens aperture on the camera is set wider then it will produce 2 stops less light (1/4) thus achieving a 1:4 exposure rating. Some flashes might have to be fooled into believing that they are exposing a different ISO than the one actually set on the camera. So setting the camera’s ISO to 100 and the flash ISO to 400 will make the flash under expose 2 stops (1/4) as it is fooled into exposing for a more light sensitive emulsion or ISO setting that needs less intense light. Every flash will have its own idiosyncrasies so study your flash manual to ascertain how to reduce the power on your flash. One could use a reflector to reflect the backlight into the subjects face from the bottom, but this usually requires an assistant to hold and angle the reflector correctly. Balancing flash to look natural and still expose the background correctly is not difficult and only requires the most basic of adjustments to ones flash. In conclusion there are many different ways to achieve a balanced fill light on a backlit or contrasted subject and the aforementioned techniques are guidelines to start with and develop your own skill and photography. Happy hunting and please don’t forget to send us your shots. [o]
FEATURE Text by Kevin Edward Brown
W
ikipedia describes photo walking as “The act of walking with a camera for the main purpose of taking pictures of things that the photographer may find interesting. It is usually a communal activity organised by camera clubs, online forums or commercial organisations It is often done as a method to practice and improve one's own photography skills rather than with a specific focus on documentary photography". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photowal king#cite_note-0#cite_note-0 This year marked the second year of the Scott Kelby Photowalk, with 32000+ registered walkers. It was also the first year that the Port Elizabeth contingent of photographers
PHOTOWALKING participated in the event and although Port Elizabeth is a tiny blip on the photographic horizon one could not complain of inaction. instead, as the local photographers made things happen. We met at a local mall and had a quick get-to-know-you session before setting off. A quick comparison of camera equipment revealed the usual menagerie of utensils, from amateur (400D) to Pro-sumer (20D, D70) and professional D SLR (5D & 1Dmk2). As usual the photographers were from all walks of life, including policemen, engineers, sales reps, accountants and other friendly colourful characters with one mutual bonding factor -our love of photography - and it wasn't long before we were all getting along like a house on fire so we set off on
our walk. The walk took us along quite a random path, with our first "stop" being a car dealership. Luck was on our side and a bright red Ducati super bike was soon the focus of the photowalkers' attention. I was pleased to see one photographer whip out a Nikon Speedlight and put some off camera lighting on the bike. As we continued and the walkers really got into the spirit of the event, ordinary everyday objects became the subject of intense interest within the group. In due coarse our walk led to a park with an excellent view of the completed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, which is the venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Port Elizabeth. This proved to be the highlight of the walk.
FEATURE Photowalk 2009 proved to be a great success, having provided a great opportunity for networking and mingling with fellow photographers. It has also spawned, amongst others, a Facebook group called PE/EC Photographers (http://tr.im/photogs) and also access to a local photography forum called Cameraforum (www.cameraforum.co.za). Despite the fact that the Port Elizabeth group is relatively new to the Scott Kelby Photowalk, the results indicate that the next Photowalk will be an even better event. [o]
PHOTOWALKING
READERS PORTFOLIO
PHILLIP BOTHA
READERS PORTFOLIO
P
hillip Botha was born in South
Africa in Bloemfontein, and spent most of his adolescence in the suburbs of Johannesburg. He is a very dynamic and creative person and loves to take pictures of the ordinary and transform them in the realm of the extraordinary. “I want to inspire and make people feel inspired by the gift God has placed in me, as it is my conviction that one must use these gifts of creativity to serve others and oneself”: says Phillip. Phillip’s future plans are to own a photographic enterprise.
PHILLIP BOTHA
PC: I know you personally and your photography is most definitely spiritually motivated. How do you involve God in the creative process? PB: “I base it on how the word of God (The Bible) inspires me and the spiritual food (teachings, relationships, leadership, support) I receive from my spiritual house. Its important to be accurately connected to a house and a spiritual father and mother.” PC: Do I glean correctly from your portraits that you are particularly fond of people not just as photographic
subjects but also as kindred spirits? PB: “I love people and to see how they change for good. I don't get my energy from people like personalities. But we are a wonderful creation and are made for Great things.” PC: Bacon and eggs or instant cereal with added vitamins? PB: “Bacon and eggs (full bodied raw breakfast). Some fruit juice and Cereal is not good enough if they have to add vitamins to it.”
READERS PORTFOLIO
PHILLIP BOTHA
READERS PORTFOLIO
PHILLIP BOTHA
REVIEW
SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-TX1
I
magine a compact camera that could take pictures all by its self? Imagine if the manufacturers of such a high-end compact camera stopped pushing pixels, dropped the resolution and also decided to launch their latest CMOS technology inside this brand new compact instead of in a top end D-SLR? Imagine no more and feast your eyes on the future here and now brought to you by Sony? Could we please have a drum roll as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 takes the stage? Announced on the 6th August 2009 the TX1 marks a shift in direction that hopefully other manufacturers will follow. Camera resolution has decreased to 10.2mp compared to its predecessors at 12mp, a resolution that I have long considered absolutely pointless on a compact camera. It features Sony's latest Exmor R CMOS sensor, which is set to revolutionize sensor design. By moving circuitry, that typically would have blocked portions of the front of the sensor, to the back of the sensor, sensitivity is doubled compared to prevailing CCD and CMOS sensors. This unique design also dramatically reduces noise. The Exmor R sensor coupled with the super fast BIONZ processor and a mechanical shutter also allows for increased frame rates capturing an
astonishing 10fps burst. A feature that is carried over from the Sony Cyber-shot HX1, recently reviewed by PhotoComment, is the Sweep Panorama function. You may remember that this feature allows you to hold the shutter down and pan instead of taking multiple shots then giving you a smooth in camera stitch without worrying about getting closely aligned overlaps. A potent combination of features delivers a Handheld Twilight mode for low light photography with dramatically reduced noise. This is achieved by a burst of six frames that are subsequently superimposed, kind of like an in camera HDR (high
dynamic range). Anti Motion Blur mode will capture moving subjects in low light also with reduced noise. I can still hear the question begging to be answered: But how does it take pictures by itself?� Most of you may be aware of Sony's Smile Shutter function. Here is how it works. The camera automatically fires when someone smiles, and it even distinguishes levels of smiles from a mere grin to a full on, teeth showing, laugh out loud smile. So for the Cyber-shot TX1 and WX1 Sony have developed a Docking Station called the Party-Shot. This outlandish device revolves the camera around doing a 360-degree turn while also tilting it up and down thus scanning the room for
REVIEW
faces to lock onto. So beware for when you smile, BAM you're on camera. If you don't believe me make sure to check out the video at www.photocomment.net Any questions? Does it work and would I buy one? This review is based on a sample unit and there may still be some tweaks to the production unit before it hits the shelves. Considering the certain improvement in noise levels on the new Exmor R CMOS sensor, the Party-Shot unit that had the other customers at the coffee shop entertained and the rest of the gimmick value I would definitely put it on my Christmas wish list. [o]
SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-TX1
Readers Portfolio This is your chance to get your images published. For each issue we (the editors assisted by a panel of industry leading photographers) will choose a reader's portfolio that inspires and celebrates the art and craft of photography best for that month. You stand a chance to win a prize from SONY, one of our advertisers, should your portfolio be published. Include a self-portrait accompanied with a brief introduction of yourself, your style and your philosophy. Send us no more than 10 of your best images with your contact details to magazine@photocomment.net enter “Readers Portfolio� as the subject. Make sure the images are in JPEG format and no larger than 640x480 (or closest too), we will contact you for larger files if needed. Needless to say that the standard will be high and uncompromising so please put your best foot forward.
Prize
Keith Groenewald
- More porfolios to inspire
1 x Laptop Sleeve 1 x SONY ALPHA Lens Book 1 x Memory Card Pouch 1 x Rain umbrella All branded SONY ALPHA
- You could be featured next month submit comments, images or portfolio to magazine@photocomment.net
To Automate, or not to Automate Photography That is really the question. The recent launch of Sony's new Cyber-shot TX1 and WX1 had me reflecting on the future of photographers. These two revolutionary cameras can utilize an optional Party-shot docking station and while this is still a very novel idea and might not pose any real risk to photographers or even promote their extinction, it leaves one wondering about the relevance of a photographer in certain situations. The Party-shot mode in its current implementation for example, can probably only be used in one or two different scenarios. Placed on a table at the reception of wedding for example snapping candid photos automatically as people go
Yes, the future is indeed now I believe. Journalists need never
about enjoying themselves. Would this be considered
put their lives at risk nor would a landscape or wildlife
distracting or is the idea novel enough to survive? Party-shot
photographer catch a cold schlepping around in the dew again
could sound a welcome reprieve for numerous photographers,
ever. The photographer of the future could be detached from
who consider the table shots mundane, capturing all the
any discomfort and still make great images, or could he?
wonderful laughing expressions of the guest during the
Aren’t the conditions and situations the determining factors
evening. Near the cake table at a children’s birthday party,
that influence our artistry? The mood and the moment's effect
capturing priceless chocolate covered smiles is another likely
upon our physical presence impacts our interpretation of the
application. What is clear about such a gadget is the substantial
scene and thus the captured image. Perhaps it is and should
increase in images we take or didn’t take since it is an
remain a dream, a nightmare. I am reminded of a scene in the
automated process, so perhaps collect could be a better word.
animated film WallE. Humankind has failed to exist without automation and can't even walk.
Decidedly I don't take nearly as many pictures as I aught to and perhaps the next generation camera would do more than just be
This may all be an exaggeration, but it would not be mine
on standby for a smile. Conjure up an image at your home, you
alone. Countless photographers have mused about rigging a
switch on your TV, fiddle with a Playstation like remote and
remote camera while talking over coffee or a pint. Presently
flick a switch on the hovering camera next to you. You
however we have nothing to fear but this little UFO like disk
remotely guide it out the window watching it's every move on
with it's sleek silver compact on top turning round, flashing,
the TV screen and press “X” key for each defining moment or
turning a bit and flashing again, revolving one more time then
scene I would like to capture. Perhaps a movement similar to
yet another flash in the face, a few degrees left and STOP
Lomography will arise from this style of photography. You
ALREADY, I have got to turn this thing off.
simply set flight to autopilot and shutter to random capture.
[o]