Items

Ozzie Sweet: To my various interlocutors who are anxious for me to treat of Ozzie Sweet: I regret to say that, until I was introduced to him by a kind correspendent several weeks ago, I had never heard of him. That is mere ignorance, and mea culpa; any photographer eulogized in the Times is obviously a gentleman of renown. I apologize that Yr. Hmbl. Host cannot be a commentator on his life or passing, but for some things you must turn elsewhere.

Sony A58 top view

New Sonys: Just out are two new Sony digital cameras, one an SLT (the A58), and one a member of the NEX family (the NEX-3n). Both are more toward the entry-level end of their respective ranges.

The 2014 Mazda 6: Back at the Milwaukee Auto Show yesterday (for four hours of solitary happy wandering and poking about), I tried to support my comment about the Mazda 6 being a particularly good-looking new modern sedan (translation into English: saloon). I photographed it from all angles (the battery in the Dragoon was depleted, so I took the OM-D), and discovered something odd: it doesn't photograph well.

I'm sure many of the professionals in the audience are aware of the fundamental mystery of models...namely, that the camera "loves" some people and is not so kind to others. Well, the same is true of cars, apparently. I compared my visual impression of the Mazda 6 to my photographs of it again and again, and there's no doubt: it looks better in the sheet metal than it does in pictures. I tried, but all of my attempts fell short (and some fell flat). See it for yourself when you can; it's a standout.

The color, by the way, is "Blue Reflex," and it's also lovely. And also not quite reproduced here accurately, but that's my fault.

Local news: Not only has "Color Rush: 75 Years of Color Photography in America" opened at the Milwaukee Art Museum, but I learned recently that MAM has moved quickly in replacing departing photo curator Lisa Hostetler, whose major show "Street Seen" was such a success. (The excellent book, Street Seen: The Psychological Gesture in American Photography, 1940-1959, which we wrote about a time or two, is out of print but still available.) "Color Rush" is in part her parting gift. (I'll be touring the show in March with a most excellent guide. Also, a book is upcoming from Aperture. It's available for preorder now, for an April availability date, and can be purchased now at the museum.)

Our new curator is Lisa Sutcliffe, who joins us from SFMoMA. Local photo people are of course using the inevitable shorthand "old Lisa" and "new Lisa," like that television show about the Christines, but in fact both are young. Lisa H., whose departure was described as "a kick in the stomach" by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, is the new McEvoy Family Curator for Photography at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.

We welcome Lisa S. and wish her well, and are hopeful her tenure here will have as much vitality as her predecessor's.

Minimalist masterpiece: I'm in the middle of streaming the surviving hour+ of Dennis Johnson's 1959 minimalist composition "November," lost for many decades and resurrected recently by the yeoman efforts of Kyle Gann and others. A tip from my friend Bobby B Bobby B of course. It's at Irritable Hedgehog. Have a listen if you're interested in Ur-minimalism, and read the fascinating tale.

More anon,

Mike

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Karl: "From a Coastal Homes magazine interview with Ozzie Sweet: 'Ozzie Sweet is the Babe Ruth of Photographers,' said Chuck Solomon of Sports Illustrated. 'Ozzie is the DiMaggio of his craft; he makes it look easy when in fact, there were none like him,' said Marty Appel, baseball author, historian and TV producer. And I agree. He was the best photo illustrator I've ever seen. I first noticed his work on the cover of Reader's Digest if I remember correctly; a shot of kids on a toboggan in mid-air flying over a hill with expressions out of Norman Rockwell. He was my benchmark for how good photo illustration could be when done really well."

Comments

[Steve G, Mendocino]

RE: Car photos

Precisely why I reserve judgement on cars until I see them in the sheetmetal. Most recent example was the Leaf - I was interested from published specs and had a neutral reaction to photos, but a strong negative reaction to the car in person. Just too hentai for me. Sticking to the MINI (BMW made and, IMHO, more of a successor to the 2002 than anything with a BMW nameplate in their current lineup) for now.

[Michael Steinbach]

Only one battery! Really. :)

[I have a great many batteries. They just all go to different cameras, is all.

I even have an area of my basement set aside as a charging station, where all the various chargers are hooked up or plugged into to a power strip. --Mike]

[Ed Hawco]

That Mazda is very shiny, and there are a lot of overhead lights and reflective surfaces in that room. I wonder if it would photograph better if it had a matte finish and were outside?

[Marc Gibeault]

A lot of car designers seems to struggle with the area joining the A-pillar, the hood and the front fender. This Mazda 6 may be a bit better than some but still looks like a patch of blob...

[I agree that's the weak point, but see it in person before you judge. --Mike]

[Jeff]

Not sure about the color, but I can see the shape better in this series:

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-mazda6-first-drive/#photo-5339207

Does that do it any more justice?

[Mathew Hargreaves]

Thank you for the tip on November. I love it when something in History is brought back to life and given a presence in Now. You see scores to movies being recontructed and recorded for a modern audience. Or those old scores having new recordings for a full sound spectrum, and not just copied from wire or 78 discs. I would like to suggest a recent film music favorite: The Film Music of Brian Easdale. It includes a new recording with faithful instrumentation of the Red Shoes Ballet. It was hearing the other pieces on the album that some new favorites were discovered.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

A friend is on his second Mazda 6, though not the latest model, and his and my experience of them is that they are indeed first-rate cars. The latest one may well be another step up in the game.

That's good, since the old 626 was kind of a boat and not very pleasant at all.

[JohnMFlores]

When I am king, this is the first law that I will pass, "All automobile and motorcycle shows with more than twenty vehicles shall have soft, daylight balanced, high CRI, seamless, ceiling lighting. Hard, harsh, and otherwise nasty lighting shall be punishable by three years in a Nissan Versa."

[Carl Blesch]

Re your auto show visit - so "saloon" is English (you must mean the Queen's English, or British English) for "sedan"? Shows how little I know. I was at the Toyota showroom on Odaiba Island in Tokyo with my expat daughter a few years ago and we saw a high-end car called the "Royal Saloon." I chalked it up to "bad Engrish," figuring that they meant something like "salon." After all, why would Toyota name a top car in its model line after a dirty low-class American drinking establishment?

I also understand your comment about how some people photograph well and others don't. I like to say that there are some people I simply cannot take a bad picture of, and there are some I simply cannot take a good picture of.

And Steve - I bought a Nissan Leaf, and absolutely love it. My 40 mile / 60 km round-trip commute falls comfortably within its 70 mi / 100 km (EPA rated) battery range. What I can't stand is how some women have told me what a cute little car it is! I don't think they have a clue it's electric. Guess it's a good test of how secure I am with my masculinity.

[John Holland]

Sorry Mike, but from your photo, the Mazda 6 looks like a Buick. Guess I'll have to see one in the flesh.

[That's what I'm saying.... --Mike]

[Michael Matthews]

It's not you, it's not the car, it's the lightng.

That's why they need those 20-foot overhead softboxes and two or three major stand lights with diffusion to do car photos for advertising.

And, the impressive outdoor shots of cars are most often done under light overcast skies, often with a bit of ground level fill -- naturally occurring soft white reflections or something carted in for the purpose.

The Mazda is a really fine, restrained bit of design. All the right lines and none of the recent Japanese trend toward comic book futurism.

[Raffwal]

Funnily the US and European market car models that go by the same name differ in looks. And tech I suppose. I have a 2008 European Mazda 6 and a new 2013 model is being released right now and neither looks like that car.

[I don't know what you're looking at, but the U.S. and European Mazda 6 is the same design. --Mike]

[Don]

....eulogized in the Times....

But not in The Times.

[Cliff R.]

As the owner of a 2010 Mazda 3 sedan (the Sport model with the 2.5 and 6spd manual) I have to say that the new 6 looks really good. Of course anyone should take my opinion with a grain of salt because I think the current 3 is a great looking car too. I just don't "see" the big gaping mouth when I look at the front of it like some other people do.

[Mark]

Were you using a CP filter? I find it's a key piece of gear when going to the auto show.

[I should have, but no, I don't own one for this lens. --Mike]

[Bob Rosinsky]

The Mazda 6 looks sweet to me. A big step up from the 1980s GLS Sport that I drove for many years. I think you captured the essence of the car just fine. I've been watching Mazda's DNA evolve over the years, and I am intrigued by their current lineup. You are being a bit self-deprecating regarding your photo of the car. If tales a 12' X 8' softbox, and smaller ones, flats, flags, etc and access to a cyclorama painted white to really capture the essence of a nicely shaped automobile. A lot of images scene in advertisements are CGI renderings from CAD files.

[John Krumm]

The Mazda looks better than our 2004 Accord, though it has hints of Buick and a touch of carp nose in the photos. But at only 82,000 miles and all paid off, I'll have to wait until whatever they have in maybe 2016 or 17 to get excited. I do like that they've improved the mileage on this sedan (38 highway I read) and that they plan to bring in an even more efficient diesel version.

[RobertoM.]

Is that the 2013 or 2014? They both seem to have been released at the same time, but it is the 2014 that is catching all the buzz.

[My bad. Fixed now. Thanks! --Mike]

[Steve Justad]

Get lower, get closer. And no matter what, the lighting is still bad, but that ain't your fault.

[Steve Biro]

Like movies, I rarely pass judgement on any car before seeing and driving it myself. Mike, two days ago you told me Mazdas are underpowered. Do you think the new 6 will be underpowered if we actually get the new diesel powerplant? This car has certainly piqued my interest.

[I think it's certainly likely to be, but I'll be good and reserve judgment. Following your lead. --Mike]

[Stephen Scharf]

Some cars are just like that. I didn't think the new Ferrari 458 Italia was attractive until I saw it in the flesh, where it was clear it's a stunner.

On another note more photographic, you've inadvertantly overlooked some very important news today, which is that Adobe has new versions of ACR and Lightroom 4.4 out in "release candidate" form that most notably provides much improved raw conversion support for for Fuji X-Trans sensor cameras, including the new Fujifilm X100S and X20 cameras, which, BTW, have yet to see any mention of here at TOP, even though they received considerable attention at CES.

This is fantastic news for Fuji X-Trans users; the link is here:
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/cameraraw7-4/

Lastly, Mike, where is your continued editoral coverage of the new, and getting much closer to perfect, DMDs? You waxed so poetically about them for years, but now that you've got the Nikon D800, DMD commentary has been rather thin on the ground of late.

Perhaps the answer is they may only be a few weeks away! The X100S and X20 ship soon. ;-)

[Mark Alan Miller]

A bit of Buick in the design is not such a bad thing. A few of the recent Buicks have been decently styled. Mazda has been the most consistent of the Japanese companies. They're so lucky they lost whosis to Renault. He made interesting show cars that didn't work as production models (see Mazda 5 flanks for evidence.) I'm hoping the Mazda6 sells better. It should with those looks. The CX5 is apparently doing well, so there is hope for Mazda.

[Mart]

Thanks for the November tip, I'll be buying that. For anyone that is into music, Kyle Gann has an interesting webpage. If you think an octave is made up of twelve equally spaced semitones try his page on "Alternate Tunings". Ross Duffin's book and articles are good too.

[Andy Kowalczyk]

Thanks for the link to "November". I never paid attention to minimalist music before. In the first minute I was suspecting it was just a gimmick, but then I found myself drawn into it.
But then I would occasionally miss one or two trains at the Kendall "T" stop while playing with the musical sculpture :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendall_Band

[Softie]

I agree with Steve: lower, closer, and if I may say, wider. My car show work became printable, in my (humble amateur) opinion, when I went from 28mm to 20mm. (Note that I shoot outdoor enthusiast shows, not indoor new vehicle promotion shows.)

[Raffwal]

"I don't know what you're looking at, but the U.S. and European Mazda 6 is the same design. --Mike"

Sorry, you are probably right. The first pictures of the European model I have seen made it look different, but today I saw it at a car retailer and they do really look like that.

(However, US and EU models by the same name often do look different.)

[george4908]

The Mazda 6 does indeed look much better in person than in pictures. But the real problem is that it's not the Mazda Shinari on which it is, in part, based:

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim//2010/09/03/mazda_shinari_17.jpg

Now that's a beautiful car. The 6 looks a little like they put it in a vise and compressed it front to back. Still, it's a very pretty car in person.