Locations to enjoy quiet are few and far between these days. Fewer and fewer locations exist where you can go to avoid hearing man and/or man made objects. Even when I was in the Arctic it was common to hear small planes and on one rare occasion a jumbo jet. As an artist I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of capturing images that exemplify intangible concepts such as “quiet”. Some photos are more successful than others… the following photo, taken in Yosemite National Park, is a favorite of mine capturing the essence of quiet.
Out of curiosity….
When and where was the last time you experienced silence (no man made noises)?
An Unquiet Nation: Audio ecologist Gordon Hempton talks about America’s vanishing quiet spaces, and how our lives can be helped by listening to the silence – Newsweek
The Quiet - The Merced River in Yosemite Valley: rocks, water and reflections - Yosemite National Park, California
As you’re probably aware the iPad is on the way and its going to save the world! All will be right again when the Apple iPad hits the streets in early April. Nikon and Canon photographers will sing Kumbaya together, dogs will get along with cats and newspapers will again be profitable… well you’d think that would be the case from all the hype. I’ve had several conversations over the past several weeks with friends about the iPad and as a huge fan of Apple I will hold no punches in saying I’m underwhelmed with the device that has turned out to be nothing more than a  mega-iphone less the phone. That being said there is one thing about the Apple iPad that has grabbed my attention and it has nothing to do with the device itself.
I’ve read various blog posts to the effect that the iPad will usher in a:
new era of photography – bzzz! nope.
A new digital medium of display isn’t going to transform photography, but it might add to the “cool” or “hip” factor of a photographer as they show their work. The Apple logo on a touchscreen mobile digital photo frame will surely wow a few folks, but it won’t “change photography”. Display devices don’t change photography.
new era of image responsibility -bzzz! nope.
Image theft is pervasive because of a wide spread attitude that content online is free. Digital files don’t have value because they’re intangible. No alarm is going to sound when you walk out a storefront because you have an image on your laptop, iPhone or iPad. A new device isn’t going to usher in a new era of responsibility. That cat is already out of the bag and I’m hard pressed to believe its ever coming back. Deterrents such as financial penalties provided by copyright law, image tracking software (PicScout IRC, TinEye, etc.) and other innovations ideally should keep this in check.
What has grabbed my attention is an undercurrent of buzz in relation to content. What the iPad offers is a color display, a supporting network of content distribution via Apple’s iTunes store and broad market appeal. Whether the iPad turns out to be the next iPhone success or Newton failure its mark will be left in how content is crafted, displayed and consumed. This is why the iPad matters, yet doesn’t matter. It’s launch is the landmark, not the device. While Apple will certainly make a shiny penny in selling the iPad it will have the longest lasting impact on content creators & publishers.
Why the iPad doesn’t matter
After the launch of the iPad, Apple will have set the mark in cool and user experience pointing the way for competitors to emulate. Device sales will be a brand war and nothing more. The edge in relation to sales will be given to companies with complimentary services & software. No doubt Apple will have the competitive edge as they’ve exemplified with the iPod/iPhone. What makes the iPad irrelevant is that it’s also a WiFi device. Content can be pulled from any location or distributor that has web presence.
Why the iPad matters
What makes the iPad relevant is that it will shape expectation in how online “books” are formatted & presented. As the first  color displayed tablet/ebook reader that is made widely available, the iPad will have a substantial influence on consumer expectation in relation to how one interacts with digital content. The iPad’s WiFi capabilities gives content creators and publishers of all sizes equal footing. Seeing that iPad friendly content can be hosted anywhere on the web, content creators & publishers should take note of the format and presentation standards for people viewing their work via an iPad or equivalent.
What’s your opinion? Is the iPad the savior of photography, a means to a content standard or something else entirely?
“Gates of the Valley” has always been a vantage point that exemplifies the beauty of Yosemite National Park. While many of us know iconic Yosemite from the “tunnel view”, it is the ground level view of “‘Gates of the Valley” that provides a sense of scale that eternally entrances me. Taking in this view with fresh snow on the ground is nothing less than seeing Yosemite in it’s purest form. The snow seemingly takes back what we have taken from the landscape. Roads, fences, and footsteps disappear all while quietly revealing the true denizens of the valley the deer, coyotes and other animals that live under the towering trees & cliff walls.
Even while protected as a U.S. National Park it’s great to see nature take back the land.
Few places in my travels have made as lasting an impression on me as those I’ve visited along Highway 89. There is not a week that goes by that my mind doesn’t wander to places I’ve visited on Highway 89. The landscapes, people and small towns that make up this portion of the United States are amazing. One of the few people I’ve come to know that appreciates this stretch of highway and the U.S. National Parks it travels through even more is Ann Torrence.
Ann Torrence just recently released an excellent book titled, “U.S Highway 89: The Scenic Route to Seven National Parks”. Having traveled 15,000 miles in her documentation of this amazing route she has captured not only the beauty of the scenery, but the soul of the highway comprised of by the many small towns, down to earth people that call this area home and the awe inspiring U.S. National Parks found along it. Highway 89 stretches from Nogales, Arizona to Piegan, Montana intersecting Saguaro, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. If Ann’s writing doesn’t transport you as you read her book, her photography most certainly will. “U.S. Highway 89″ strikes a balance between well-written prose and solid travel, wildlife and landscape photography. What I found most refreshing about Ann’s book is that it highlights the communities along Highway 89 as much as it documents the iconic National Parks found along it.
If you’re looking to explore new territory or revisit familiar ground covered on past trips you’ll find great satisfaction in “U.S. Highway 89″
Where to Buy It
“U.S. Highway 89: The Scenic Route to Seven National Parks” can be found at Pictureline.com, Amazon.com and signed copies from Sagebrush Press.
By definition the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge rising above the fog is as iconic a photo as you can take.  Most of these  types of photos are taken looking Southeast from the Marin Headlands at a distance of 1 – 1 1/4 miles. The photo below was captured from a distance of 4 miles, looking North towards the Marin Headlands. This extreme telephoto perspective via the Canon 800mm f/5.6 lens breathes a bit of life into a regularly photographed subject. No matter what the perspective seeing this iconic structure endure the ebb and flow of fog is eternally an awe inspiring experience.
The 34th episode of EXIF and Beyond has been released (duration 16:54 min.)
This episode of EXIF and Beyond features interviews of Russell Brown, John Knoll and Kevin Connor (Adobe Senior Director of Product Management) from the Adobe Photoshop 20th Anniversary Celebration held in San Francisco on February 18th, 2010. Discussed are topics ranging from recollections of Photoshops earliest beginnings, the impact of its release to creative professionals and hints of what’s to come in Photoshop CS5.
Finding art in nature is always a highlight to any moment I spend behind my camera. So often we get caught up in our day to day lives that the brief and special moments we observe are fleeting. A subject I cannot photograph enough is the moon. Â The moon like few other subjects consistently captures my imagination.
Lunar Layers
This weekend I had the pleasure of using a Canon 800mm f/5.6 lens and made full use of it in capturing February’s full moon. With limited visibility due to fast moving storm clouds, a horizon level photo was not in the cards, but as the moon peeked through the clouds at sunset I was able to capture this composition (that mildly resembles a big eye in the sky).
Tecnical Info:
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 800mm f/5.6, 2240mm (800mm + 2xTC + 1.4xTC), Â f/11, ISO 400, 1/160 sec
I consider myself lucky to have been include in a select group of folks randomly selected at the Adobe Photoshop 20th Anniversary celebration to receive a copy of Photoshop 1.0.7 for the iPhone. Thanks to Adobe’s Russell Brown for the creation of this retro application for the iPhone (or at least announcing the news of it… seeing as it was actually made by development firm named Corona).  So what’s the fuss about this app?
First let me burst most people’s bubble…
This app is not a full version of Adobe Photoshop 1.0.7 and only provides basic levels adjustments. (No cropping, no image rotation, no resizing, no curves, etc.)
Touch screen controls on the iPhone are quite clumsy to use
It’s not being distributed beyond the select pool of people who were given the opportunity to receive it at the 20th anniversary celebration
The app is not being further supported
The app is tied to specific iPhones ID’s.
Now that I’ve laid the ground work as to why you shouldn’t be upset Photoshop 1.0.7 is not widely available let me tell you why it’s cool.
For those who used the first or early versions of Photoshop the user interface is a real flashback
The startup sound is another great flashback and reminds Apple/Adobe fan of Pavlov’s theory of conditioning.
Adjusting levels by color channel (red, green and blue), in addition to a master adjustment is nice be able to do.
Really? That’s it?
Yup that’s it. This app highlights one function of the original Photoshop app. Nothing more and nothing less. Other photo apps that are currently available do tons more. This app hardly will become a part of my standard iPhone photo editing workflow. But if you’re a tech geek… meaning you grew up using Photoshop & old macs and still hoard old equipement and software (please don’t tell my wife) then you’d love this app. How long I’ll be inclined to show my buddies this app at bar-b-q’s and various tech events I don’t know. The shelf life might be quite short, but the inner geek in me loves it.
