BAD Pictures

The Egyptian Revolution
I've just this minute heard from Peter in Cairo. We'll feature a ground-level photojournalistic report on TOP very soon—Tuesday, it looks like. Good pictures, those will be. (More about the "BAD pictures" of the post title later in this dispatch.) I'm still stunned by Peter's ability to place himself right in the middle of the action before it happens.

Ah, now that's better
Now that I've just used it, do you ever get annoyed by the overuse of the verb "to stun"? Stunned, to me, is what a baby seal is when whacked upside the head with a club—nothing good about it. When you're Tased, you're stunned. Stunned is what you are when you hear your whole village just went down in a shipwreck. The English language is on a constant quest for new and better intensifiers for "good" and "I like it," but I don't quite see how "stunned" is an improvement. "Stunning"—the adjectival form, if I'm right—is a slightly different matter; I have been stunned by the beauty of a stunning woman now and again (oh, Sienna Miller—a British celebrity who I just saw on Top Gear—would that I were twenty years younger, three clicks handsomer, and, say, half a billion dollars richer); but I think the term should be reserved for something startlingly beautiful. Gob-smackingly so, as our U.K. friends would say. (I should just move to England and be done with it. I'm clearly a Brit wannabee. T. S. Eliot and Bill Bryson both did it; why can't I?)

But I digress. You might recall that in my post about my new computer I complained about the colors of the screen, even after calibrating in the "Expert" mode in System Preferences > Displays > Color > Calibrate. Well, yesterday the box arrived from B&H Photo with the X-Rite I1 (Eye-One) Display 2 in it. Our friend Carl Weese had recommended it to me as an excellent profiling device for the iMac (and it's much cheaper than the ColorMunki Ctein uses). 

Calibrating is no substitute for profiling. X-Rite manages to make an exceptionally easy-to-use product slightly less so, in that the software isn't entirely intuitive to load (and the instructions just say "Load software" and let it go at that). But in the end even I was able to figure it out—which, at the risk of being obvious, certifies it as idiot-proof.

The stunning Sienna Miller on BBC's "Top Gear." I think it might also help my cause if I were a movie star. I'll work on that.

The actual profiling process is a breeze. Plug the sensor into a USB port, hang it on the screen (on the glass iMac screen you can actually use the suction cups that are there for old-fashioned CRT monitors if you want to), hit the go command, and it happily builds a profile for you and loads it in the proper folder. Four mouse-clicks, I think. I just used the "Easy Mode," which (as Carl pre-predicted) is so good I hardly feel the need for geek mode, which I gather is very close to being just as easy as the Easy Mode. TOP's colors are thankfully all back to normal now, and the iMac screen looks...well, yes, stunning.

Every good monitor deserves profiling. If you have local friends or any kind of photo club or group, an Eye-One colorimeter can be shared (I think—if the software will load on more than one computer), assuming you're willing to do the legwork of passing it back and forth. You don't need to actually run it all that often. Graphic artists and custom printers profile weekly, but ordinary Joes can get by with doing it every few months (and ordinary Mikes, who are lazier than ordinary Joes, can get by with even  less frequent touch-ups).

BAD Photography
So, what to watch on a magnificently profiled new monitor? Has to be something really, really "bad." You won't often do better than this little career-summation video. Wonderful. Thrilling, in fact (and I don't gush easily). Bruce has lived the coolest life. I remember many of those pictures, too, especially the opening one.

I hereby heartily recommend BAD photography. It's...no, I won't use the word again. I'll just say it's good and I like it. I've watched it three times. A treat for a leisurely Saturday afternoon.

The Commentariat shines
I enjoyed the comments to the Martin Parr "Last Resort" post. Thanks for those. Nothing like a good discussion about what's good and bad and why.

No, not 'The Woodsman'
The next noise you hear from yours truly will be the Winter Print Offer announcement on Sunday (tormorrow). However, it will be posted a little earlier than originally advertised—about 10:30 a.m., if I stay on schedule—because shortly thereafter I'm headed to Chicago for the afternoon showing of "The Woodmans."

Have a lovely weekend, and please stop back tomorrow!

Mike
(Thanks to Malcolm Leader)

Send this post to a friend

Please help support TOP by patronizing our sponsors B&H Photo and Amazon

Note: Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. More...
Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Comments

[Kevin Bourque]

What a terrific BAD presentation. As I watched it I expected to hear the ubiquitous dubbed-in "wheep wheep wheep" drive noise. How nice that is wasn't there.

You're right, Miss Miller is a babe. Probably ought not stare too hard for fear of spraining something. Sigh.

[Robert Howell]

Wait, wait, wait,... have a look at Matthew Cassel's work. This fella' was definitely "on the ground" in Cairo.

http://justimage.org/

[Dave I.]

Re: Sienna Miller

She's a good-looking blonde, but not in the class of Cheryl Tiegs (well, who is). Brunettes are the most beautiful to me. Those dark brown eyes framed by that dark hair: what could be more powerfully attractive? Just a few names: Halle Berry, Salma Hayek, Susanna Hoffs, Natalie Wood, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Brooke Burke, Tina Fey, Winona Ryder, Diana Rigg, Jennifer Beals, Anne Hathaway, etc, etc.

Thanks for the post!

[Jim Hart]

Mike, readers may want to check the EULA on the software before sharing the device.

Jim

[Dave I.]

Wait! One more brunette I can't believe I forgot: Angie Harmon.

[Jeff]

Great video diversion...thanks, Mike.

Sienna Miller, the same unfortunate woman who was married less than a year when her husband, Jude Law, infamously admitted to an affair with his children's nanny. Some years later, she dated him again.

[David H.]

I am blown away by your ability to come up with and actually write such interesting posts (and links) on a daily basis, Mike. No wonder your blog is so successful. We are looking forward to your detailed review of The Woodmans upon your return. No pressure, though.

[Mike Johnston]

Jeff,
See? I'd clearly be better for her than Jude Law.

Mike

[John London]

Is Peter Turnely any relation to David Turnley? I ask because the work of the latter turned up in a Leica booklet I have.

Regards JohnL

[Bruce]

Agreed about BAD and Sienna.... breathtaking (?) astounding, is there a word for "got so interested, I spent an hour googling them both" ? Thanks for a lovely Sunday morning romp in cyberspace, Mike, now I really MUST get back to collate yesterday's wedding pix. From a photog with initials BAH in Australia.

[Steve G, Mendocino]

Mike;

See if you can find a video of "The Interview" with Sienna Miller. Interesting movie that went nowhere in the US.

[Jayson Merryfield]

What's wrong with "The Woodsman"? Excellent movie, I thought.

[Mike Johnston]

Jayson,
Nothing. But the movie I want to see is "The Woodmans."

Mike

[Mike Johnston]

John,
They're twins. Both photojournalists, and have collaborated on several books.

Mike

[Mike Johnston]

David H.,
Thank you Sir! I tries.

Mike

[Mathew D. Hargreaves]

Hmmm, is "pre-predicted" like "pre-visualise".

Yes, it is a very nice short film. What a great career he has had.

[Edie Howe]

Mike:

Count your blessings. She could cripple a man with that overbite.

Just sayin'.
Edie
"But I'd die happy..."

[john robison]

National Geographic was where I learned what great still photography looks like. I find them both a source of fascination and envy. 'There is a bit of envy in the best of us and thats too bad.'(To quote Elwood P. Dowd)

[charlie]

Meh

[Ed]

@ Steve: And if he does that he can also try to rent a subtitled version of the Dutch original "Interview" made by Theo van Gogh (indeed related to the Theo van Gogh, Vincents brother) who was killed in november 2004 by an islamic extremist, thus linking Sienna Miller to Egypt, featuring Katja Schuurman, Pierre Bokma, Theo Maassen and Ellen ten Damme. Steve Buscemi made an American remake of the movie. The name Theo Van Gogh appears in the American movie, watch the moving service they bump into.

And for another stunning woman, watch Laura El-Tantawy's series at burn magazine....yeps a woman, from Egypt, but she stands her ground with the best of them.

http://www.burnmagazine.org/

Greeting, Ed (who smells a bit fixery today after having succesfully developed his first 8x6's on a 120 rollfilm)

[Chris Sheppard]

On the use of "stunned" as a verb. Where I come from, it can mean stupid or unbelievably dense. As in "stunned as me arse".

Chris

[James]

I am mildly amused by Top Gear, to the extent that I refuse to drink anything (fizzy, caffeine, or alcoholic) while watching it in order to prevent mucky cleaning jobs. Top Gear and the news are the only programmes I will stop whatever else I am doing so that I can watch. I'm not particularly keen on cars, as my ownership of a battered 9 year old Volvo proves. To me Top Gear isn't really a car show, but a legally-safe blow off valve for white, middle class men in the UK who appear to be the target of every PC agenda going.

I'm not sure how up to date you are on BBC America with the Top Gear episodes, but Siena Miller is becoming a more regular feature. A couple of weeks ago, she proved the utility of a Skoda by (apparently) being able to fit into the glovebox. Now that's a travel accessory I could live with.

Top Gear have a You Tube channel, which from the UK at least is fairly up to date (the 2010 Christmas Special is on there). I know some BBC content is not available outside of the UK for licence reasons, but it may be worth checking out to those who don't know about it.

[Barry Reid]

Stunning. Yup, hate the word. It's on the cover of every UK photo mag, every month and every article is how to take stunning (insert genre) photographs, photographer X's stunning photographs... It drives me up the wall.

If everything is 'stunning' then it's a signifier of mediocrity rather than quality, no?

[cfw]

"Stunning?" - I guess; if you like that blond, gorgeous, perfect type. I wonder if she could use a new Lexus?

cfw

[Doug]

Mike, take a look at ColorEyes software. When I bought my new Eizo Flexscan and asked a tech savvy photographer friend why I just shouldn't use the software that came with my device (spyder 3), he asked me, "Why do you use Lightroom and not Nikon Capture NX? Why do people use Final Cut and not iMovie for everything?"

Check it out here - http://www.integrated-color.com/

[Mike Johnston]

" 'Stunning?' -- I guess; if you like that blond, gorgeous, perfect type."

cfw,
I just like her personality.

Mike

[Rod S]

I enjoyed Bruce's BAD photo video, Mike, and recognised many of the shots, too. Nice to hear his voice; it fits well.

[bob]

Mike, what is with this, need to calibrate your monitor??? The thing should work out of the box, give them heck, this is unacceptable.

How come every one else isn't complaining?

Try sending the bill for the cost of calibration to Apple.

[Mike Johnston]

Bob,
No, all monitors need calibrating or profiling for critical work. Check out this tutorial at The Luminous Landscape:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/monitor_profiling.shtml

In fact it's usually the best monitors or displays that benefit the most from profiling. Lesser displays don't have enough gamut, are too directional, aren't adjustable enough, or drift out of calibration too easily or quickly. (It's like giving an old clunker car a tuneup...who can tell?) It's precisely because the 27" iMac has such an excellent display that profiling makes a difference.

Mike

[Steve Smith]

do you ever get annoyed by the overuse of the verb "to stun"? Stunned, to me, is what a baby seal is when whacked upside the head

No. But I don't understand how the word upside (if it is a word) is applied here.

Inside, outside, by the side of, etc. all make sense but not upside.

[Mike Johnston]

Steve,
As a preposition, American black slang. Of quite some time ago, which is the only way a very white guy like me would be observed using it.

Mike

[hurworld]

I think we can all agree that Ms Miller is, in fact, a Stunner.

Yes, Mike, please move to England. :)

[Andrew Golding]

I gather that Jude Law has just dumped Sienna again (even though I try to avoid this sort of gossip, sometimes it's impossible). So, Mike, don't give up hope, nothing ventured... etc.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

Your screen capture of Sienna Miller doesn't convince me. But your explanation of what you like suggests that a photo will never really capture it, so that's fair enough.

Besides, I've been meaning to look into Top Gear eventually, and I did the TV upgrade this weekend so I'm now somewhat part of the modern world. Though I'm still so new to it that I'm sure I'm not good at finding things that are actually available to me fairly easily; yet.

And thanks for the BAD link. I'm especially stunned by the idea of the 30-second time exposure shot from the tail of the airplane landing. The light pattern is stunning (oops, that word again). And I never would have thought that position was vibration-free enough to capture the plane itself sharply (though of course the engines are basically idling at landing). (For those who didn't look, the plane used is a DC-10, which has one of its engines in the tail, so vibration from that and from airflow both would seem to be factors.)

[Dean Johnston]

Kia ora.

Regarding Sienna Miller, I think you will find that she herself was born in the US and moved to the UK.

[James]

@ hurworld

I'd agree. Just FYI, the vernacular in England is "stunna", which I think comes from The Sun newspaper, chiefly famous for Page 3 topless girls (eg "she's a Sun Stunna") and for unaccountably backing the popular vote in every General Election since the Second World War ("It was the Sun wot won it!!!" was a typically self-deprecating headline in 128 point type above a photo of Maggie Thatcher winning power in 1979).

The Sun is less happily known for some spectacularly ill-judged headlines, such as "GOTCHA" with a photograph of the still-controversial sinking of the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano during the Falklands War, "The Truth", an article after the Hillsborough disaster which turned out to be anything but the truth, and the faintly surreal "Freddie Starr ate my Hamster".

[Mark]

You should move to the UK Mike, then it'd be possible for me to attend your next meet up!

[Joe]

xrite owns Pantone. Pantone is the trusted name in color systems for graphic design, advertising, fashion, and other purposes (basically, most of the color you see everyday).
So it does not surprise me that the i1 Display 2 is a very good calibration tool.
However, there is also the ColorMunki Create and the identical Pantone MEU116 also made by xrite both for $71.24 at Amazon. Are these a i1 Display 2 with a different color cover and software? Is the i1 Display 2 better or the ColorMunki Create deficient in any way for iMac calibration?