Around the Web on a Friday (Week 42)

Photo by Peter Turnley

• I've been helping my friend Peter Turnley promote his Cuba workshops, which Peter likes because he gets high-quality participants from TOP. Since I last posted about it many places have been reserved, although there are spaces left for every workshop. Up next is the New Year's workshop. Officially called the New Year in Havana and Viñales Photography Workshop, it runs from December 30th 2017 to January 5th 2018. The full price of $5,250 includes the hotel in Havana, air travel round trip from Fort Lauderdale to Havana, visas, three local guides, transportation in Cuba, several group meals, a daily photographic itinerary, and critique sessions led by Peter. The workshop takes place in Havana, with a day trip to Viñales. A price reduction is available in case you want to arrange your own air travel to Havana.

TOP reader Ray Wallace writes, "I took part in a Peter Turnley workshop in Cuba last year (March). Simply stated, it was the best photographic week of my life. Peter is a joy to work with, offers guidance artfully and tactfully, and is immensely skilled at conveying to workshop participants the importance of truly connecting with subjects instead of simply slapping the shutter button. I enjoyed working with him so immensely that I asked him, and he graciously agreed, to present a lecture on the campus of Indiana University Southeast." (The lecture took place last October third. Dr. Wallace is the Chancellor of the University.)

There are several places left, but be sure to sign up soon.

Leonardo's Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World) is on a worldwide tour
before returning to to Christie's in New York, where it will be
auctioned at an evening sale on November 15th.

• A girl named Camera: In 1977, American tennis great Arthur Ashe married Jeanne Moutoussamy, a photographer and graphic designer. In 1986 the couple adopted a daughter, naming her Camera after her mother's profession. Other great photography-related baby names: Berenice, Dorothea, and Lisette for girls, and Ansel, Fox, and Walker for boys.

• Keeping the crew awake: Ever wonder how to hire a crew for a "high production" photo shoot? Julia Hanley of Wonderful Machine lays it all bare in a recent post at Rob Haggart's aPhotoEditor blog called "Expert Advice: Hiring Crew for Photo Shoots." When she once lost a booked assistant to a scheduling conflict, for example, Julia says "my first move was to ask the remaining assistant if he had any recommendations for locals whom he'd worked with previously. I sometimes take this approach because the remaining assistant will usually recommend someone they're used to working with, making the shoot run smoother." One of the potentially most difficult aspects of coordinating a crew, she writes, is catering. For one thing, she needs to know right from the start if anyone on the crew or among the talent has any food allergies or dietary restrictions. "I also like to keep the meals light so that the crew isn’t falling asleep halfway through the day. Another crucial trick to keep people awake is to have lots of fresh hot coffee (or cold brews) on set at all times!"

Fresh hot coffee, mmm. And you were wondering how I was going to work dogs, nimble sports cars, vinyl records, or coffee into today's post? Never a problemo. I've been doing this a while, you know.

William Phelps Eno, inventor of the stop sign. This is not a
mugshot, but a French driver's license c. 1912.

• Fading reds: You probably don't know who this man is, yet the things he invented affect your life almost every day. He is William Phelps Eno, an early campaigner for traffic regulations from the days when there were none. Among other things, Eno invented the stop sign, the one-way street, and the traffic circle or roundabout (or at least the protocols for how they're used by motorized traffic).

He was first smitten with his passion for "rules of the road" when, at the age of nine, he and his mother were trapped in a seemingly insoluble tangle of horse-drawn carriages on the streets of New York City. "That very first traffic jam (many years before the motor car came into use) will always remain in my memory," he wrote in 1909. "There were only about a dozen horses and carriages involved, and all that was needed was a little order to keep the traffic moving. Yet nobody knew exactly what to do; neither the drivers nor the police knew anything about the control of traffic."

I realize the above reads like it's a deft lampoon, but it is all true.

Eno's eventual proposals—after he grew up, that would be—were logical and rational:

1. We must have concise, simple and just rules, easily understood, obeyed and enforced under legal enactment.
2. These rules must be so placed and circulated that there can be no excuse for not knowing them.
3. The police must be empowered and ordered to enforce them, and men should be trained for that purpose.

No one had thought of it before.

Stop signs were originally yellow, according to Ryan Felton at Jalopnik, because red paint pigments couldn't stand up to the sun and rain without fading. California solved the problem of fading pigments first, by using porcelain enamel. The octagonal shape was adopted at a conclave of official traffic-control mugwumps in 1923.

Oh, and by the way: William Phelps Eno, the father of traffic regulation, never learned how to drive. The French driver's license pictured above, issued to Eno in 1912 by A. Bertillon, the Préfecture de Police in Nancy, France, was honorary.

The new 2017 Leica Thambar-M 90 mm ƒ/2.2
will ship in November

• Leica to revive 1935 Thambar: Speaking of old stuff, this is new. Leica is making a modern replica of its own "Thambar" lens type that dates from 1935. From the veritable press release—from, Ja, Leica—"While modern lenses typically strive to achieve the highest levels of sharpness and clarity, the Thambar-M 90mm ƒ/2.2 is all about 'the look.' The Thambar lens is known for its ability to capture portraits with a signature aesthetic that cannot be reproduced in basic digital post processing."  The new lens will cost $6,495, which seems like a lot to pay for an unsharp lens, even one with 'the look,' until you consider that the old original lenses run from $4,000 to $8,000 depending on vintage and condition.

Thorsten Overgaard has samples of both, and lots of information on Thambars, in this roundup of Leica short telephoto primes. (You may have to dig around in that a bit.)

• What?! Oh no: I passed a Porsche SUV (that very concept already a sign of cultural decrepitude) in the parking lot of the grocery story yesterday, and squinted to read the small silver badge on the side: Diesel. Oh yes—the maker of the canonical nimble sports car has degenerated to producing diesel trucks for public consumption. I am hurt in my heart. To paraphrase Julius Caesar: "et tu, Porsche?"

• A very interesting show catalog: Arbus Friedlander Winogrand: New Documents 1967 is an exceptionally interesting exercise, at least for those of us who are into the history of photography (and love photobooks). Many big high-ticket museum shows feature printed catalogs in the form of deluxe books, which serve as both a record of the exhibition and also a means of bringing the show to those who can't attend in person. But one of the most important shows of the 1960s in New York never had a catalog. It was John Szarkowski's "New Documents" show at the Museum of Modern Art, which introduced three major figures of the second half of the 20th century in American photography, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, and Lee Friedlander. 

Now, on the 50th anniversary of the show, a catalog for it has finally been issued. I haven't seen it yet, but it's a tantalizing concept: it promises to both commemorate the show, finally, but also to take a thoughtful retrospective look at it and put it in historical context. The first review on Amazon is by Paul De Zan, who is also a TOP reader; Paul succinctly nailed it. I'd quote his short review, but whenever you write a review on Amazon, Amazon owns your words. (Did you know that?) I'll try to get this. The book, I mean, not Paul's review.

• America's loser President (SNAFU of the week thus far: He promised $25,000 from his own pocket to the father of a dead soldier—something he didn't have to do in the first place—and then reneged) apparently believes that the Auguste Renoir painting on his private jet is real, whereas art experts are pretty certain it's fake. But it looks like a Renoir, and hey, it's signed. Proof enough. Regarding that $25k, the White House is now saying the check's in the mail.

• Not censored: "The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen." That's a quote from Tommy Smothers, half of the '60s folk singer / comedy duo The Smothers Brothers. And, assuming you know who Tommy Smothers is, here is your weird factoid for the week: Tommy Smothers played guitar on John Lennon and Yoko Ono's song "Give Peace a Chance."

• Apropos yesterday's post, LensRentals really does things right: the Sony/Zeiss 24mm ƒ/1.8 ZA Sonnar arrived today in a neat little package. On the end you're supposed to open, the packing tape is printed with the words: "RELEASE THE HAPPY! OPEN HERE!" and on the wrong side, the packing tape reads "YEAH...NOT THE HAPPY SIDE. TRY AGAIN." And inside, with the pre-addressed return label, what do you find but...a piece of tape, in case you don't have your own packing tape to reseal the package.

Each time I rent something from these people they have found a way to make it easier to do. How long can that go on?

• Adobe has unveiled an online ("CC") subscription version of Lightroom, Lightroom CC, rebranding regular ol' Lightroom, which has been updated, as "Lightroom Classic CC." DPReview breaks it all down for you. Why can't life just get simpler instead of incessantly more complicated?

• The not-so-fresh face of a new breakout musical star belongs to none other than 77-year-old photographer William Eggleston. The Memphis photography great, who just two years ago published his magnum opus (and who I'm told is popular among both the old and the young), has released an album of music called, well, Musik. (Tim Vine joke: "So I went down to the local music shop. I said, can you teach me how to read music? He said, why? I said, because I keep pronouncing it MUSS-ick.") "The material on the new 'Musik' collection mostly comes from the late '80s and early '90s," relates the Commercial Appeal website, "a point at which the usually technology-adverse [sic—I think the writer means averse] photographer became fascinated with a new synthesizer, the Korg OW/1 FD Pro. The instrument had 88 piano-like keys, the ability to emulate the sound of any instrument, and a four-track sequencer offering Eggleston a grand palette of musical colors.

"Eggleston would ultimately create a mass of improvised symphonic pieces and interpretations of standards, totaling some 49 floppy discs, with more than 60 hours of material, which [producer Tom] Lunt then compiled and edited into the 13-tracks and nearly 60 minutes found on 'Musik.'"

"Mr. Eggleston," adds Boomkat, "often says that he feels that music is his first calling, as much a part of him, at least, as his photography." Hmm.

Here's how the Germans really really pronounce 'Musik.' [This link didn't work on my phone or tablet, but works on the computer. It's just a German guy saying "musik."] I would pre-order it on vinyl, of course.

• Do not click on this unless you have six minutes to waste: Work Fails. (Caution: NSFW language.) The one at 5:10 left me fairly gobsmacked. Think of how much work that one's going to take to clean up, assuming those boxes were all organized on the shelves. Or even if they weren't.

Good thing nobody ever sees what goes on behind the scenes here at TOP!

That's it for us for the 42nd week of the year 2017, a year which has sped by improbably quickly so far. That means: ten more weeks to go in 2017. If you enjoy our shenanigans and you possess a shred of mercy in your heart, you will naturally remember to click on the links below to do any shopping you need to do during those ten weeks!  :-)  And bless you for that. It costs you nada, but drips a dab of gold into my coffers every single time you do it. A coffer, by the bye, is a strongbox or treasure-chest. Mine is far from full, but I like to keep the bottom covered, at least, with no bare spots showing.

Hope you have a good weekend. I have to take a couple of days off next week, but I will post a "classic" (translation: old) TOP article or two on both Monday and Tuesday. Hopefully ones you haven't seen or don't remember. Comments will remain open, but won't be posted until later in the week. Please come back Monday!

And thank you.

Mike
(Thanks to many friends, correspondents, and tipsters)

Original contents copyright 2017 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.

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Comments

[Geoff Wittig]

Hah!
I knew there was a reason I never joined the cult and don't use Lightroom. I still manually download my photos from compact flash cards using Adobe Bridge, placing them in folders I organize according to my own quirky thought process. I can still find images I'm looking for pretty quickly.
Now that Lightroom is becoming 'subscription based', it raises the disturbing possibility that your carefully organized catalogues might evaporate someday (if, say, Adobe loses interest), leaving you struggling to figure out where your actual image files are located and how to re-organize them.

[Daniel]

So you think diesel vehicles are clunky? Check out Audi's latest version of a diesel race car for endurance racing. https://blackflag.jalopnik.com/the-new-audi-r18-le-mans-car-still-beats-that-wacky-die-1766481772

Audi won the 24 hours of Le Mans five years in a row with their diesel cars. Better fuel mileage, more torque, less shifting and reliable, reliable, reliable. The first year of racing the Audi diesels won every race they entered.

This new incarnation is a hybrid diesel/electric and looks to be another winner.

[Stephen Gilbert]

Diesel trucks?

Worse: diesel station wagons.

[Michel]

regarding your comment on LensRental packaging. I love great packaging. If you don't have a smartphone lens from Moment Lenses you should order one just to see their packaging. Also, this bit of satire - https://youtu.be/EUXnJraKM3k - was apparently put together by Microsoft's own marketing department to express their frustration with the company's visual identity.

[Rick]

Mike,

happens once every thousand years: if you add your year of birth and your age on this year's birthday, the sum is the current year (2017).

So we made it this time around! Can't wait for the next one.

Rick

[David Zivic]

I really enjoy these multiple topics in the now frequently postings.
I will comment on two of them today.
I went to Havana alone with a camera several years ago. It was a wonderful and safe experience. I live in Mexico so there wasn't a lot of cultural shock and the people everyone will laugh out loud together. If anybody has reluctance of Turnleys trip should move on to a wonderful experience. They will find it enlightening about the culture and the light works great. So do the night lights BTW. Regarding the other comment which is a little political, I needed to check the TOP guidelines about todays subtle nuances . I checked and they were not "Rants and Provocations" so the status quo remains. And regarding this topic I save those bashing comments for other publications.... and with relish.

[Chico Ruger]

Mike...I like your “Around The Web” posts. Keep ‘em coming!

[Herman Krieger]

I spent a week in Cuba during a workshop, but rather than take part in the activities, I walked around Havana on my own. Not speaking Spanish was perhaps a help rather than a hindrance in taking photos.

[Herman Krieger]

It's curious that someone having a French driving license should invent the stop sign. A stop sign is a rarity in France, where the general rule is that the car to the right has the right of way.

[Richard Alan Fox]

Wowie zowie that is one great post, take the weekend off you deserve it.

[Nico.]

A truly auspicious photography-related name is, of course, Takuma.

But who knows, maybe Thambar will become highly fashionable for newborns, over the next few years.

[Soeren Engelbrecht]

Well, our son is named Anton - just a little bit in honour of my favourite Dutch photographer (Apologies to Jeroen Smit, if you read this. You're a clear second on my list)

[Jose Rosas]

I was one of the participants, with Ray, in Peter’s March workshop in Cuba. I can attest to everything he says, particularly on Peter’s emphasis on making human connections first, photos second. In addition, we had a fantastic group of participants who had a lot of fun together and are still in touch, celebrating each other’s accomplishments and getting together when we visit someone’s city. A great overall experience, indeed.

[Dan Gorman]

In re: "To paraphrase Julius Caesar: 'et tu, Porsche?'"

Everything I've ever read about this supposed quote says that Shakespeare pretty much made it up. Some scholars say that Caesar may have said something similar to express dismay at Brutus' participation, but his exact words weren't recorded in any contemporary accounts. I'm just working from memory here (always dubious, at best), but I think Mary Beard may have even touched on this in her recent book (SPQR. I know you're a prolific reader, so if you're aware of something I haven't seen, I'd love to know about it.

Personally, I don't know why they don't just release the video, and have someone enhance the audio so we can finally put this issue to rest. Another massive cover-up I suppose. Plus ça change . . . ;)

Cheers!
Dan

[Jim Meeks]

I was researching a photographer who happened to be killed during a prison escape around 1914 in McAlister, OK. I discovered he was referred to as the "Bertillon" officer at the prison, someone who took the photograph of the inmates and recorded their measurements and other distinguishing marks.

[Terry Donnelly]

Seeing your notice about Peter Trunley's Cuba workshops and openings, I'd like to comment that I've traveled to Cuba with Peter in May 2015 (Havana) and again in April of this year (Santiago de Cuba)and that both trips were powerful photographic experiences for me. Peter is a wonderful mentor and quite generous with his time and experiences. His workshops provide access to rich photographic locations and circumstances. Both trips provided opportunity to explore Cuba with uncommon intimacy and insight. Participants are allowed encouraged to travel lightly without disruption among the marvelous Cuban people. thanks Michael for promoting Peters workshops - I highly recommend them to TOP readers
Terry Donnelly
www.donnelly-austin.com

[Mahn England]

The Porsche SUV I fear is not owned and driven for its "Porscheness" but rather owned for its label "Porsche".

[Rolf Dolf]

Speaking in ansels...

Ansel Adams's 1983 Playboy Interview Should Be Required Reading for Climate Change Deniers @ http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-ansel-adams

[GJM Geradts]

I saw a diesel 2.0 litre , probably 4 cylinder SUV.
Those are 3 sins for a Jaguar.
OK, it sells.

[Robert Fogt]

And that Eggleston cover photo, I'll add, is by fellow Minnesotan Alec Soth.

Bob

[Chris C]

Re: et tu, Porsche - that diesel SUV is reportedly their best selling model.

[Stephen Scharf]

I love LensRentals. I live relatively nearby the other major lens rental business, and I still rent from LensRentals. Why? They make the process so painless, easy, and seamless, and as Mike has mentioned, they just seem to make the process better and better. Why drive 90 minutes in Bay Area Traffic to pick up and return a lens when I do it all from the comfort of my own home. The "Release the Happy" packaging, and the included piece of packing tape are enhancements they've added over the last year or so, because IIRC, they were not part of the first rental I did with them in Sept 2016.

They're my "go-to guys for gear" nowadays....

Regarding Adobe: Why can't it be simpler instead of more complicated? Because Adobe, much like Apple, has predominantly completely lost touch with their customers. It's all about them now, not the the needs of their customers. Why did they name the "standalone" subscription version of Lightroom "Classic"? Because at some point in time, it's going to go completely away; it'll become a "Classic". Ulitmately, Adobe is going to make you pay every month not only to use Lightroom but also to store your Lightroom images and catalogs.

Fortunately, by then, MacPhun will have full DAM support.

And, there's always Capture One.

What a contrast in cutomer-centricity: LensRentals on the one hand, and Adobe on the other...

[Thomas Rink]

Re Porsche diesel trucks: During the 50s and 60s, Porsche in fact manufactured agricultural tractors (I'm afraid that the link is in German, English Wikipedia doesn't have an article about that). Back in the day, they were quite popular among German farmers.

Best, Thomas

[Tom]

Another vote for the Around the Web posts.

Although I doubt I'd ever be a customer that Leica lens is a beautiful piece of industrial design. The focussing ring just begs to be turned.

[Speed]

Re: Work Fails ...

Physics always wins.

[John Ironside]

Re the Adobe Lightroom changes, how did you get on with Affinity Photo, Mike? It seems to get good reviews.
And BTW, I never have any doubt which gear my car is in, because it only has one forward and one reverse. Except maybe during parking if I forget which I have selected. It solves all that doubt and anxiety, delivering consistent acceleration, as much as I need, every time. BMW i3.

[Harry Lew]

If there's anything better than perambulating the Web myself, it's reading the results of your wanderings. Keep 'em coming, sir!

[Nate]

This style of post for these small tidbits of info definitely works. Kind of like a quick tour around the world.

Regarding diesels, I fear you are still tainted by the diesels from the Gas-Crunch era. Modern diesels from the '90s and newer are more technologically advanced, more poweful, better mpg, and pollute less than their gasoline counterparts.

[Dillan]

Well, I did it: I named my son Ansel. What can I say? I like the name, and I admire the man. It seemed perfect to me.

[cdembrey]

Photo philosopher Eric Kim today said Consider that the pictures you shoot today will become the past of the future. http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2017/10/20/now-is-the-best-time-to-be-a-photographer/

BTW my brother-in-law's little-sister would blow-the-doors-off your stick-shift Acura if she was driving one of those Porsche trucks. Just sayin' 8-D

[Moose]

"While modern lenses typically strive to achieve the highest levels of sharpness and clarity, the Thambar-M 90mm ƒ/2.2 is all about 'the look.' The Thambar lens is known for its ability to capture portraits with a signature aesthetic that cannot be reproduced in basic digital post processing."

This would be interesting to me, if it weren't so costly, and if I had a camera to mount it on.

I walk two sides of the photography street, conventionally sharp, clear, with lots of fine detail, deep DoF, etc., and various forms of soft and abstract images. For the latter, I have a small menagerie of soft lenses, mostly used on a Sony A7, as they are all designed for FF.

Some are intentionally so:
LensBaby Velvet 56/1.6
Holga 60/8
Minolta Varisoft 85/2.8
SIMA Soft Focus 100/2
LensBaby Sweet 50/2.5
LensBaby Soft Focus 50/2
Other LensBaby 50/2 optics.

Early fast T-Mount lenses, pre computer aided design, unintentionally soft at wide apertures:
Tamron 28/2.8
Super Lentar 35/2.8
Sankor 135/2.8
Lentar 200/3.5

Looking at web images, I don't see anything from the Thambar that seems unique, compared to what the above can do. There might be more to see with larger images, of course.

The Minolta is interesting in that it has a ring that adjusts the amount of spherical aberration for some control over softness separate from the aperture ring, although I've not so far much liked the results. Nikon tried the idea of a soft focus 105/2.8, but abandoned it before production, as they couldn't get the effect when stopping down that was desired.

This raises a major problem with all these lenses; softness declines with smaller apertures, generally entirely disappearing by f8-11 (including the Thambar). Thus, combining soft focus with large DoF, as is achieved with some LF lenses, is impossible. Nikons's solution was to stop the lens project and develop special Soft filters.

There's also a problem with "sink strainer" apertures as (first?) seen in the Rodenstock Imagons (and in LensBaby Soft Focus aperture disks). Specular highlights become large images of the aperture, in bright color. An interesting effect, but seldom actually desirable.

Another problem is bright conditions, where very high shutter speeds and/or ND filters are needed to maintain the wide apertures where soft focus obtains.

What DOES intrigue me is the filter with blacked out center. I see at least one 1A filter with black center in my future.

[Dave Najewicz]

I had the good fortune to attend Pete Turnley's lecture at Indiana University Southeast last week. Although I was familiar with his work though TOP and his photo journalistic work, his talk touched upon his early years as a young documentary photographer in Ft Wayne Indiana and California as well as his impressive educational achievements, life in Paris...and his documentary projects in Harlem - all I can say is what a talent! Pete is an impressive speaker and really connected with the audience which included many students and attendees from the Louisville area ( which is right across the river from IUS) My thanks to Dr Wallace for bringing such a great photographer and speaker to our area.

[Bear.]

I would drive a Porsche diesel before forming an opinion.

[Ben]

I’ve always thought, wouldn’t it be cool to have a Thambar? Don’t think I’ll bite, though, too rich for my blood. I actually had a tele-elmart that had developed some weirdness in the front element, a kind of haze or something, and which actually made for a fantastic effect. I actually regret having it cleaned, though I wonder if it had progressed if the lens would’ve become unusable.

For a special look, I enjoy my uncoated 30s Zeiss Sonnar converted to LTM. I think I’ll shoot with if today!

[richardplondon]

That honorary driving license - was that issued by, I wonder, the same A Bertillon responsible for the system of criminal anthropometry mentioned in Sherlock Holmes stories among other references; also so prominent (as - heavily overclaimed - graphologist) in the Dreyfus trial?

[Mike Plews]

While not a soft focus lens like the Thambar this did bring to mind the Lomo Petzval. At $600 it is a tenth the price.
I believe the intent of these lenses is to give portrait photographers a different look. In that regard both appear to succeed although I suspect the Petzval gets the nod in terms of return on investment.

[Patrick Perez]

Re: Arthur Ashe's daughter's name, another tidbit that may have played a role in her name is the fact that Arthur had had an endorsement deal with Canon Cameras for several years (though finding the dates of his time w/ Canon stymied my efforts).

Re: Porsche SUVs, I recall a print ad in a car magazine around when the SUV was new. It posed the question: Why would you need an SUV w/ 400 HP? Have you ever run out of diapers at 3:00 AM?

As for automatic transmissions, my dual clutch DSG auto in my Sportwagen has paddle shifters. I can change gears without taking my hands from the wheel. When I change gears this way, the dash shows the gear it is in (otherwise it displays 'D'). If dual clutch/paddle shifting is good enough for F1 racing, I guess I'll get by. I never owned an auto transmission car until I got a job where I had to drive in stop and go rush hour traffic, and life is too short for 1st-N-1st-N-1st-N etc shifting.

Patrick

[Patrick Murphy]

Question about photo books: Can anyone point to examples of photo books in which the text was much more than just captions, and played an especially important role in showcasing the photographs? (The most extreme example that comes to mind for me is W.G. Seabald's Austerlitz, which is not a "photo book," but a work of amazing prose with a few small, enigmatic, black and white photos. But I am actually looking for photo books as such, in which the text is an especially integral part of the overall presentation.) Thanks.

[Gary]

regarding "Leica to revive 1935 Thambar" - I'll glob some vaseline on a filter - already spent way too much on Leica