The Online Photographer

Sympathy for Florida

Hurricane Ian making landfall (NOAA photo)

Sending sympathy and solidarity today to our neighbors, countrymen, and friends on the West coast of Florida and across the central section of the State. Yesterday at 3:05 p.m., Hurricane Ian made landfall (defined as the point of lowest pressure crossing land) at Cayo Costa, 20 miles north of Fort Myers, as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 150 mph. Spreading destruction in a wide swath across the State, it dumped over two feet of rainfall near New Smyrna Beach and more than a foot in Orlando. It is currently downgraded to a tropical storm but is strengthening over the Atlantic and is expected to make landfall again in South Carolina later today, possibly as a hurricane, meaning a storm with winds of force 12 on the Beaufort scale, equal to or exceeding 64 knots / 74 mph.

My friend Jim Sherwood did an extensive photographic project of the aftermath of hurricanes and tornadoes 20 to 35 years ago now. I'd have to check with him on the time frame, but I know the project included Hurricane Hugo in 1989. His pictures were amazing. One that I remember showed a car neatly perched on top of a concrete lawn table as if on a pedestal, and another showed a more or less perfectly preserved bathroom hanging in the air, the house around and underneath it having been torn away by the wind. The toiletries were still arranged in orderly fashion on shelves and the window with its "X" of masking tape was unbroken. Jim paid his own way to areas devastated by several hurricanes and tornadoes. He used a Pentax 6x7 and Kodak VPS color film, and made 16x20 prints of the work using a Hope commercial processor. The set was extensive and dramatic, but has never been published. Jim is an accomplished photographer, with pictures in the permanent collection of MoMA and other top institutions.

Some friends who were flooded out of a low-lying area of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 opted not to rebuild. They moved instead...to Denver, Colorado, known as "the mile-high city," 5,280 feet above sea level.

Mike

'Golden Oldie' Books o' the Week

I was going to link to The Life of a Photograph by National Geographic ace Sam Abell, the book version of Sam's video talk we've been discussing, but guess what? Sold out since we mentioned it the other day. You can still score one of the few remaining copies of the 4-volume Sam Abell Library from 2013, but buy it directly from the publisher—they still have it at the $75 publication price (I called them in Santa Fe to check), and Amazon is already charging four times more. We need a reprint of Sam's classic Stay This Moment!

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Bruce Bordner: "I was very tempted to go out and shoot after Hurricane Sandy in NJ, but I was dissuaded by many stories of homeowners becoming very upset by photographer/videographers 'feeding on their pain.' I can't really see their point unless they thought everyone was making money from pictures of their disaster...I still don't get it, but I didn't want to chance it. Be careful if you're in one of these situations and be very respectful—they're hurting."

Mike replies: I believe most of the scenes Jim photographed were when people were absent. I could be wrong. But I don't recall seeing people in his pictures.

Albert Smith: "I live halfway between Orlando and Daytona and as usual we spend the week before the actual landfall watching every news update for changes in the projected path of the storm. It is nothing less than slow torture. You go to bed thinking it's going in a divergent direction then wake up with the cone right over your town. Five days out, three days out, one day out, they are still not sure. The most distressing sight is the so-called spaghetti paths, a dozen 'expert weather centers' project the expected line of movement and they are always in disagreement. The Euro center seems to be closer than most over the years, but they insist on adding in the never-even-close tracks and averaging them into a cone. I wonder what it was like 100 years ago before satellites and computers when the first clue that a storm was coming was the storm landing. The new technology is great but I know that I shaved some time off my life watching the stress inducing coverage leading up to the storm, 90% of which was wrong.

"We can't complain or feel bad about our situation: tons of flooding, power lines down (no electricity, well water, air conditioning TV, etc.), no supply to stores or gas stations, and mentally contemplating that there will be weeks of this. Giant trees are down, collapsing power lines and assuring no quick fixes. But other than some roofs and underwater living rooms, the houses are still here and just looking at photos from the southwest coast of the peninsula will make us feel like we won the lottery.

"The issues with supply from the pandemic was bad. How can anyone expect to rebuild after this? Thousands of from-the-ground-up new houses will be needed and last year you couldn't find basic housing supplies like drywall or roof shingles for general maintenance. This will take years.

"To my fellow Floridians: be strong. To the folks in the path in the Carolinas, pay attention and don't dismiss what's coming. Good luck to you."

The Toad and the Fox

A brief update on the previous post: last night a large toad appeared on the walkway between the house and barn. I've seen them there before and think it curious; there doesn't seem to be anything to bring them there. I tried to shoo the toad away and he hopped a few times, but settled down next to the wall of the barn, not far from the light. To my surprise, the next time I went out, hours later (to run some balls off the pool table, which is my way of getting up from the computer and not sitting for too long at a stretch—and Butters likes it out there too) he was still there, but would not hop when I nudged him with my shoe. I assumed he was being affected by the cold. This morning, the toad is gone, but right next to where he was is the distinctive scat of the fox! And yes, foxes do eat toads. They are opportunistic omnivores and eat all kinds of things.

Circumstantial evidence at best, but it appears that an old toad made lethargic by the cold became the dinner of the fox I saw, although it would never stand up in a court of law.

Mike

'Golden Oldie' Books o' the Week

I was going to link to The Life of a Photograph by National Geographic ace Sam Abell, the book version of Sam's video talk we've been discussing, but guess what? Sold out since we mentioned it the other day. You can still score one of the few remaining copies of the 4-volume Sam Abell Library from 2013, but buy it directly from the publisher—they still have it at the $75 publication price (I called them in Santa Fe to check), and Amazon is already charging four times more. We need a reprint of Sam's classic Stay This Moment!

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

The Fox

This morning I saw a fox trot past my kitchen window! That's a first. I knew they visited the back forty occasionally, because Butters finds scat back there, but I've never seen one down here before. Foxes are extremely pretty animals, I think. In Wisconsin you knew they were around because of the cottontails. A fox will eat the whole rabbit except for the fuzzy white ball of the tail, so a rabbit tail on the grass is a sign of the fox.

The day before yesterday I was out without my B&W camera (bad Mike) and the weather was so wondrous I had to stop and snap a few pictures with my "other" camera," my "color camera," i.e., the phone. The best representation of the spectacular skies was a video, of all things (I say that because I'm not a video guy) because it gave me the whole 360. I sent it to my son and some other relatives.

Here's a frame grab of the start of the video looking back at the car—

And look what's coming from the other direction!

The skies were a-boilin'. A few minutes later there were just sheets of rain dumping out of those clouds. (My cousin Liz from California said, "I am jealous. Water that falls from the sky, you say?") This picture looks less spectacular than it was, because this is the ultrawide lens on the iPhone, which I think is 13mm-e. The really amazing thing was to be out there that day. I drove all over the place happily snapping pictures of clouds and sky. I really don't think anybody on Earth appreciates weather more than I do.

Strange question
Here's a weird question: what would you say is the best-looking animal? For me it's horse for the win, fox for place, and dogs show. Fourth is certain raptors, such as the bald eagle—we have them around here, and I've seen a few. Why we like eagles more than, say, buzzards, is actually kind of a mystery. I think it comes down to the same factor that makes certain singers and rock groups more popular: they're better looking*.

Another random observation: a few evenings ago I was walking the dog and it was almost magically beautiful at dusk. It had rained and the world was wet, but the setting sun was getting through, and the skies were incredible. The air was fragrant and clear. In seven years, among all the beautiful evenings I've seen, only a handful have been as incredible. Butters and I walked past a rental house that had a lot of cars with out-of-state plates parked around it. As I walked past I saw a bunch of people inside...clustered around the television. How about that? Spend thousands of dollars a week renting a lakeside house, one that has a big deck where you can sit out and see everything, and then miss one of the best nights ever. I felt like knocking on the door and pointing out the obvious! But I didn't, of course. I hope they liked their baseball game or talent show or whatever it was. They missed the real show. 

Mike

*I used to wonder why certain music stars didn't seem to be as popular as their talent deserved. Or, the other way around, why certain stars were popular even though their music didn't seem great. I finally realized: it's looks. Robin Trower was never going to be a huge star; he's a bit homely and he makes weird expressions with his mouth when he performs. From the other direction (despite "Glycerine"), I used to listen to Bush songs in the car and wonder why they were so popular. (If you're a Bush fan, I apologize.) Driving down the freeway one day I had the aha moment: the lead singer must be good looking. That turned out to be true. (Gavin Rossdale is now married to Gwen Stefani and they have a passel of good-looking children.) [UPDATE: Sadly for those kids, their parents are no longer together. Thanks to Chico Ruger, Glenn Allenspach, George Davis, Johan Grahn and others for cluing me in. Gordon says Gwen is now married to Blake Shelton, a country star.] Hard to believe music fans are superficial enough to care about mere appearances! Er, not.

Of course, that does explain something else that we reflexively accept but that has always seemed intrinsically weird to me: all those costumes, from Kiss to Ziggy Stardust to Elton John to Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga and all the rest. I never quite got why we expect musicians to dress up in weird costumes. Maybe it's to hide their plainness? Maybe Robin Trower should have performed in face paint, dressed as an alien.

'Golden Oldie' Books o' the Week

I was going to link to The Life of a Photograph by National Geographic ace Sam Abell, the book version of Sam's video talk we've been discussing, but guess what? Sold out since we mentioned it the other day. You can still score one of the few remaining copies of the 4-volume Sam Abell Library from 2013, but buy it directly from the publisher—they still have it at the $75 publication price (I called them in Santa Fe to check), and Amazon is already charging four times more. We need a reprint of Sam's classic Stay This Moment!

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

HVJ: "Rossdale, Stefani and newly minted child popped backstage at one of the NY shows in the mid-2000s. I was taking a wee break from shooting and got trapped between them and the catering table. All the lenses in the packed room turned to look, the child turned from the flashes to look at me; I didn't know what to do except accept its outstretched hand and hold it. The result was a strange triptych of gurning rock stars, indifferent baby, and hapless photographer. Good times."

Trevor Johnson: "For those musicians you mentioned, it isn't 'to dress up in weird costumes.' David Bowie, for example. The characters he inhabited were as much a part of his music as anything else, so he deliberately took on the physical appearance of those characters. There is an excellent BBC documentary on YouTube."

Dillan K: "The most attractive animal? I'd say deer: mule deer and whitetail. They're elegant creatures."

Keith: "Cats, big, little, in between. Polar bears. Ravens. As for musicians, I think now it's more about the spectacle, the show they put on. Used to be singers just stood there and sang. The Righteous Brothers, for example. Now it seems many performers can't actually sing, they're too busy doing an aerobic workout while 'singing.' Really, it's all lip synch and autotune now. The costumes are one way to differentiate your act from another."

Dan Farmer: "Fun story (that I hope will be read as my interpretation of what I saw, not as besmirching Mr. Rossdale): Some years back I saw Gavin Rossdale perform. If I recall correctly this was under his own name, not Bush, so must have been well past the height of Bush's popularity. A few songs in and he was really getting warmed up, dancing and tossing the microphone back and forth between his hands as he sang into it. Then he dropped the microphone. There was a look of horror on his face as scrambled to recover it. The vocals, you see, had kept going while he bent down for the mic...."

Anton Wilhelm Stolzing: "About the musicians: You can of course enjoy music pure. But I am afraid the Gesamtkunstwerk (a term coined by Richard Wagner) is even more impressive."

Ed. note: "Gesamtkunstwerk is defined as "the total work of art," in the sense of the whole experience, or, a variety of aesthetic aspects or artistic fields synthesized or unified. The dictionary says it has become a loan word into English, but I speak English and wasn't aware of it. Wikipedia says it was coined by K. F. E. Trahndorff in 1827 and then used by Richard Wagner in two essays in 1849.

I would point out that musicians appearing in street clothes and normal haircuts on an unadorned stage without a light show or props or special effects are in a sense making a statement about showmanship too.

Andrew Lamb: "I grew up in the countryside and only ever saw one fox. In London, I see several every day, regardless of the time. My dog goes crazy when she sees one but they don’t bat an eyelid. They know she’s on a leash. Smart."

Geoffrey Wittig: "It's not just musicians. There is an insidious but universal bias in every field of endeavor that unfairly favors conventionally attractive people. In the Internet age it has become much worse, as images are everywhere. My own bête noire is literature and scholarly books; nowadays the dust jacket author photo is a powerful marketing tool. Authors who are brilliant but homely are frequently kicked to the curb while vapid but pretty writers get up-front billing. Makes me crazy. Nowadays a literary genius who is plain may never get a chance."

Quickie Tests

I did a few quickie tests with that Apple 20W power adapter and USB-C-to-Lightning cable that I talked about the other day. Charging my third-generation iPad Air, the new 20W charger took it from 52% charge to 57% in just seven minutes, whereas the old 13W charger and USB-A cable was able to get it from 66% to 68% in the same timed seven minutes. So 5% vs. 2%.

On the newer iPhone 13 Pro, the 20W charger and USB-C cable took the charge percentage from 31% all the way to 48% in exactly 10 minutes, whereas with the old 13W charger and USB-A cable it went from 48% to 52% in the same timed 10 minutes. So that's 17% of charge vs. only 4% in 10 minutes.  

You don't have to pay "the Apple tax." Amazon sells a pair of  generic 20W power adapters that are very inexpensive. But don't forget to get the right cable. Be sure to look for that MFi certification.

The new charger/cable combo really is a lot better if you're scrambling and need to add a little juice in a hurry.

Mike

'Golden Oldie' Books o' the Week

I was going to link to The Life of a Photograph by National Geographic ace Sam Abell, the book version of Sam's video talk we've been discussing, but guess what? Sold out since we mentioned it the other day. You can still score one of the few remaining copies of the 4-volume Sam Abell Library from 2013, but buy it directly from the publisher—they still have it at the $75 publication price (I called them in Santa Fe to check), and Amazon is already charging four times more. We need a reprint of Sam's classic Stay This Moment!

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Larry Gebhardt: "Your tests should be from the same starting point. As batteries get more full they charge slower. It's possible some of the slow down from the lower power charger is actually due to the battery not being able to accept even that lower rate of charge."

Mike replies: Okay: starting at 68%, I charged for a timed 10 minutes using the 13W power adapter and USB-A cable, and reached 70%.

Then I ran the phone back down to 68% by playing Dave Chappelle videos, and charged for 10 minutes using the 20W adapter and USB-C cable, and reached 76%.

Same outlet, same temperature, about 14 minutes between the two tests, and it was the same phone.

Working the Subject

Funny thing about that Sam Abell video from the other day. At an hour and 50 minutes, it's likely something that only a small percentage of daily TOP readers will watch. Like, maybe, between 3 and 7%, something like that. (I admit it took me several sessions to finish it. I have a fairly low tolerance for videos as information sources.)

But here's the thing. Since I've been writing TOP—I started in 2005—I've had to conceive of what the audience for any particular post might be. Making educated guesses by the seat o' the pants. I don't have the luxury of hard stats or surveys or other forms of good information. I just get anecdotal evidence from the comments, and a "soft read" on popularity based on the number of comments. But right from the first, I've imagined that some posts are going to interest most of the audience—which is good, of course—but that other posts are going to interest only small minorities. To me, though, that's okay too. I really don't mind writing a post for 5% of all the readers that day...if it's something those few people really like and get a lot out of.

So if you don't like a post, maybe it just wasn't for you. I learned that in my 12-step program...if someone is sharing something and I'm not getting anything out of it, well, maybe it's not for me. It's for someone else.

There's no right or wrong way
Want to know what one of the big takeaways from Sam's video is for me? It's that when something "catches your eye," that's really only the beginning of the process. It's not necessarily the end. Well, sometimes it might be the end. But in the demos he shows us, notice how he continues to "work the subject," and the picture evolves. What he ends up with is much better than the first shot, the one he took right after he realized there was some promise in the subject.

You can "work" a subject either right after you encounter it, like the one of the sloth, or over subsequent days, like the one of the jigsaw puzzle. But it's half the fun. You get on the trail of a good picture and you stalk it. And although you will get a great shot on the first try sometimes, you'll also sometimes get the good shots only when you work the subject.

This is an example of a one-shot success. The tree guys were finishing up loading the logs in the truck and I asked them if they would just look at me so I could take a quick portrait of the three of them. I might have taken more than one frame—two or three probably—but in quick succession. It was just one setup, undirected, and basically one shot. They were in the middle of work and paused for a few moments—well under a minute—and then split apart and went back to what they were doing.

This is an example of the opposite—one that I worked for weeks. Xander (he was "Zander" then) would get under the comforter on the couch to watch "The Simpsons" and "Malcolm in the Middle" and Lulu would ask to be let in so she could get warm. I knew what I wanted, I just kept not getting it. I even set up a monolight next to the couch, pointed at the ceiling, and just left it there for several weeks, connecting the camera to it and turning it on when I took a shot. I probably tried the shot fifteen times maybe, on many different days. That's "working the subject."

There's no best way to do it, I don't think. Either way you can get a hit, meaning, get what you want. But the point is getting the picture, not how you get it.

Fails
I have to mention one more thing—it's that I'm often aware that I've seen something, and I need to work the subject, but I don't, because I'm too lazy. That, ahh, happens. I don't do the subject justice. I could have; I just didn't. Often, back at the computer, I'll be looking through the files and think, "hey, that's good...why didn't I work that one harder?" I'll realize there was promise in it—and a possible success that I left in the field. Too late by then. You know what they say: oh well. Gotta have commitment to the picture!

Mike

'Golden Oldie' Books o' the Week

I was going to link to The Life of a Photograph by National Geographic ace Sam Abell, the book version of Sam's video talk we've been discussing, but guess what? Sold out since we mentioned it the other day. You can still score one of the few remaining copies of the 4-volume Sam Abell Library from 2013, but buy it directly from the publisher—they still have it at the $75 publication price (I called them in Santa Fe to check), and Amazon is already charging four times more. We need a reprint of Sam's classic Stay This Moment!

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Dave: "I'm glad you mentioned that the video wasn't too long when you compare it to watching a football game, for example. It made me take the plunge and view it. (Plus, the Guardians had a night off.) I normally don't watch videos longer than 30 minutes. That talk by Sam Abell was very well paced, I think. Not too many ideas coming at once and he gives enough time to consider the photo being shown. I had a notepad ready, but I didn't write a single thing. I didn't feel as if I were falling behind, so I was able to thoroughly enjoy the video and better able to remember all the ideas Mr. Abell communicated. Showing the process of 'working the shot' was very effective. I hope I'm not in such a low percentage of readers who decide to view the video. It's one of the few videos for which time seems to stand still."

Grant: "I made it through with only two breaks. Time well spent."

Stelios: "I’ve watched that Sam Abell video a few times already within the past couple of years. His delivery is not for everyone but his point is made clearly. An impressive insight in his process. I also have Stay This Moment, bought secondhand for less than £10 probably four years ago. Wonderful book."

Mark Bau: "Working the subject is something I definitely agree with. I first picked up a camera to record trains. I've since branched out into many other subjects, but I've been photographing trains for about 40 years and I have some great train photos. Other subject matter I'm not so good with. If someone decided to dedicate themselves to photographing worms, or flowers or potatoes, I'm sure they would end up with some great images. Working a subject makes you learn what works and what doesn't; you photograph, you fail, and you learn. I have a saying for it: Celebrate mistakes. They teach you what doesn't work and get you closer to what does."

Product Featurette: Apple 20W Power Adapter

If you charge your iPad or iPhone while waiting for it, the newer 20-watt charger is a significant improvement over older power adapters. It's really fast—50% in just 35 minutes according to Apple's official testing. Even just charging for a few minutes when you've let your device run down adds a useful amount of charge.

It's called the Apple 20W USB Type-C Power Adapter. Much faster than the old 13W adapters. And of course you need a USB-C-to-Lightning cable to go with that (all phones up to iPhone 11 came with USB-A cables), and it needs to be one made to Apple's "Made for iPhone" (MFi) standards; the simple way to make sure of this is to buy the Apple-brand charging cable, formally called the Apple USB Type-C to Lightning Cable (3.3'). They make a 6-foot one, too, if you need that.

If you don't go with Apple, be sure to look for the MFi certification sticker when you buy off-brand power adapters and cables. Did you know off-brand el-cheapo Lightning cables can kill iDevices? I didn't either, until I read this invaluable tip sheet by Lawrence Finch all about charging and battery health. Turns out that sticker isn't just advertising—it means the accessory meets Apple's compatibility standard.

You can buy a 30W charger too, but there might be diminishing returns: your device will only draw as much power as it wants. 30W makes sense if you're charging a laptop, but then, your MacBook probably came with the charger it works best with, whereas a lot of people with iPhone 8 and newer phones are still using the old 13W adapters and USB-A cables. See here for a list of  products that are compatible with the 20W adapter.

Power to you!

Mike

'Golden Oldie' Books o' the Week

I was going to link to The Life of a Photograph by National Geographic ace Sam Abell, the book version of Sam's video talk we've been discussing, but guess what? Sold out since we mentioned it the other day. You can still score one of the few remaining copies of the 4-volume Sam Abell Library from 2013, but buy it directly from the publisher—they still have it at the $75 publication price (I called them in Santa Fe to check), and Amazon is already charging four times more. We need a reprint of Sam's classic Stay This Moment!

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Open Mike: If You Don't Need It, Don't Bother With It

Got this email when I was sick:

We all wish you a speedy return to health and mental clarity.
Do not be discouraged.
We depend on TOP as an oasis of sanity.
Well, except for this B&W sensor thing.

—Luke

Made me laugh.

But there's a serious point behind it, and I think it's an important one.

Artists—and let's not get hung up on that word; people who create things—do what they need to do to do what they want to do. You master what you need to master.

You do need to master your craft. But only the parts that pertain to you. There's no unspoken requirement that you should master everything. One of the most dispiriting things about the age of digital imaging is that people have thrown themselves so wholeheartedly into mastering things like the the minutiae of camera technology. What does that matter? It doesn't, except where it does.Why in the world would it matter to people, for example, to memorize the whole product line of the brand of camera they use?

It has always seemed odd to me that ordinary hobbyists take such an interest in the business problems of the manufacturers. If you specialize in that because you write about it, or because you're an analyst, fine—but what does it have to do with creating work? Do you have what you need? Then why do you care about some corporation's balance sheet? Why do you want to second-guess their marketing strategies? That has nothing to do with creating work. It still seems odd to me that people get so interested in that.

But when you have a need for something in order to create what you want to create, that's when you go all in. You master what you have to. Whatever it is. So it's quite possible in the history of photography to point out numerous artists/photographers/creators who were obsessive about mastering the techniques they needed...and who didn't know much at all about other things. I knew a guy decades ago who claimed he didn't know how to use a 35mm camera. Why would he say that? Because he shot 8x10. He could tell you all about 8x10.

Humble bragging
Along these lines I think of Peter G., a studio advertising pro for whom I assisted for half a year in the 1980s. He told a story about how friends would come up to him at social gatherings and ask him to show them how to use their flash that they couldn't figure out. He would tell them he had absolutely no idea—he never shot with hot-shoe flash, didn't own one, and didn't know how they worked. His friends would stare at him incredulously and say, "you don't even know how to use a flash? I thought you were a pro!"

Of course Peter did know how to use "flash"—back at the studio he had $150,000 worth of lighting equipment, including $90,000 worth of electronic "strobes," as they were universally if incorrectly called at the time—pack-and-head units, the ancestors of something like this, many times more powerful and much more versatile than any on-camera flash. Anything having to do with studio lighting he had unto redundancy. He had something like 60 C-stands, short ones, tall ones, big ones, small ones. Of all that equipment, he was an absolute master. He prided himself on being able to light anything with strobes. In fact, he didn't even like to photograph without strobes—he did almost everything with them. He mistrusted natural light. But he really wasn't kidding. He had no idea how to use on-camera flash units. I can't recall if he owned one or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if he really didn't, because he was cheap with a buck. He said they were too complicated—that pack-and-head units were much easier to use.

That's the way it is for most people who are serious. You do what you need to do to do what you want to do. So, yeah, you do a deep dive on that. But all the rest of it? Learn it when you need it. Otherwise, it's optional.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Luke: "I'm just glad you thought it was funny."

Thomas Mc Cann: "Years ago there was a pop music guitarist, who I won't name. He was a wizard on the guitar, an absolute virtuoso. His problem was he was so interested in displaying his virtuosity the music he played was dire. I think people who are overly interested in the technicalities lose sight of their aims."

Albert Smith: "I think differently. Photography is an art, but it relies on science, unless you don't care about 'wrong' things because of well, 'art.' I learned the theory of the science behind what the technology is doing, in a very general way not specific to the actual tool. It is this understanding that lets you know when the technology is violating the thing that you are trusting it to do. If I know the guide number of any flash, I can use it on any camera. I also would know when it won't work, like using flash in a football stadium from the upper seats. There was a time when ƒ/8 was ƒ/8 and 1/250th was 1/250th and guess what? That time is still now. Understand the science and you can be effective with any serviceable photographic gear. Fail to learn the math and formulas and you will be in trouble when the functions are not corresponding to the parameters because you won't know that is happening. This thought process has allowed many photographers to concurrently use a Leica M and a Nikon F plus a Rolleiflex. They all do exactly the same thing when you understand ƒ/8 is ƒ/8 and...."

Rick: "Work is hard, discussing gear is easy. Most people like easy."

darlene: "Re: 'you don't even know how to use a flash? I thought you were a pro!' A few times, I experienced a similar situation with point-and-shoot cameras when I shot high-end weddings in the '90s. If someone asked me to take a candid photo of their group with their camera while sitting at the dining tables, I struggled a little bit if the camera had more than one button on the top as I did not know which one was the shutter button. The only point-and-shoot camera I had during that time (my 'mommy camera') was a Nikon 35Ti, and the top of that camera had analog dials and an easy-to-distinguish shutter button. Some of us pros missed a lot of the pocket camera movement."

Mike replies: That's funny. I ran into the same problem teaching high school. Once, a parent gave me an earful for not knowing every button on his kid's ancient Zenit! "You call yourself a teacher?" etc. I wanted to tell him to buy his daughter a decent camera made sometime during her lifetime, but I held my tongue.

At the Limits of tl;dr: Sam Abell at B&H

I don't usually post on Saturday, but I also usually leave you on Friday with something tasty to occupy some of your free time on the weekend, and I didn't do that yesterday. So, this video, suggested by Josh R.:

(Here's the link to it on YouTube.)

Some of you will no doubt remember the book, which was a bestseller through our links. The book is still in print (and quite inexpensive—it's a nicely made hardcover [UPDATE Monday the 26th: it apparently sold out after I mentioned it. Only used copies available now]). If anything, the talk is even better than the book, because you hear Sam's voice and get some measure of his character. Although of course you see the pictures better on the printed page.

The video is probably pushing the limits of "tl;dr"—"too long, didn't read." You might have noticed that YouTube recently has started pushing "shorts"—little micro-videos that possess the depth and profundity of greeting cards. Perhaps the apotheosis of society's collective attention-deficit disorder*. Not for Sam Abell such truffles. His talk goes firmly in the other direction, clocking in at just under one hour and fifty minutes. 

And yet it's engaging the whole way through, and not difficult to watch. You get into it. He does something in this video that I have long thought would be an invaluable tutorial about shooting—he shows the evolution of a number of shots, starting with what initially attracted him, and then how he works it to end up at the final result. I don't know about you, but that's how I shoot. You see his "visual thinking" visually, with voiceover. Very valuable.

I haven't watched even a large minority of the videos that were suggested here recently, so I'm in no position to declare where this one ranks relatively speaking. But it's excellent.

And really, it's no longer than a movie, or a football game, whether American football** or World football. And we watch that on weekends. So perhaps this is something for a change.

Mike
(Thanks to Josh)

P.S. I got out photographing yesterday! Didn't get anything, but back in the saddle again. ::thumbsup::

*I did hear a good Dad joke on one: "My wife asked if I'd seen the dog bowl. I said I never knew he did."

**I watched "Thursday Night Football" the other night, which now streams free with Amazon Prime. First football game I've seen in several years. Naturally, this is dwarfed by the fact that the U.S. Open starts in only 16 days!! I know, you can't wait. Me neither.

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Ken Bennett: "We were super lucky to get Sam Abell to speak when I hosted our conference of professional university photographers a few years ago. He gave a similar presentation, working through well-known images and showing how he got there. (Yes, he was sponsored by Canon, and many thanks to them.) I had seen Mr. Abell back in the late '80s or so, at a news photography conference at the very beginning of my career, and that presentation had a huge influence on my work.

"At the conference that I hosted, Mr. Abell gave a great presentation, then came to the hospitality room and stayed talking with our members all night. He was super easy to talk to and I'll never forget that."

Bob: "It is a fascinating talk! His advice is obvious and valuable, yet I don't think I've encountered most of it in all the way-too-many how-to videos I've watched. Thanks for sharing...."

Kenneth Tanaka: "Ah, Sam Abell’s semi-autobiographical 'The Life of a Photograph' talk (and 2008 book). His book has been a bit of a touchstone for me for a long time. Abell’s work straddles what’s become familiarly known as the 'Geographic' style (skillfully constructed but often overly sentimental and scenic) and a more conceptual 'fine art' style, pretty much where I usually aim to live! And while I’ve not yet seen this B&H presentation of his talk, I have seen him give mostly the same presentation in a more formal venue (a Nat Geo Live! presentation, I think). His style of presentation hasn’t changed; a bit slow and a bit too artificially dramatic and important for me. But containing plenty of nutrition. That aside, I have tremendous admiration for Sam Abell’s work. Anyone who could make a living for over 30 years shooting Nat Geo assignments has big chops as both a craftsman and as a politician. And his father’s guidance of 'compose and wait' became a primary strategy of my own work since first hearing it from Abell. So thank you for highlighting Abell's B&H talk! It’s on my watch list for Sunday."

Rohitha Gunetilleke: "I spent five days in a Sam Abell workshop. His teachings changed my photography. These days my rangefinder window lingers on a shot until the micro focus elements fall into place, often a frustrating and finally a satisfying experience."

Good Sleep (COVID Update)

Not everything has a silver lining, but, for me, COVID has had one. I was discouraged that I was still testing positive at Day 16, but I slept around the clock again on Wednesday night...11:00 p.m. to 11:00 a.m.

It's been nostalgic to revisit, in very early old age, the way I used to be able to sleep when I was younger. I'm not into having COVID, but I've enjoyed being able to sleep. I suffer from a form of insomnia called EMA—early morning awakening. I often pop awake at 4:15 or 5:30 or some ungodly early morning hour and, more than half the time, can't get back to sleep. Well, on Thursday morning I got dragged out of sleep at 5:45, looked at the internet for a while on my tablet, conked out again, and enjoyed basically a whole second night's sleep. I haven't slept that late in years.

The oximeter
If you get COVID, a handy device to have around is something called a "fingertip pulse oximeter," or just "oximeter" for short. It's that little clip that goes on your fingertip that measures your pulse and the oxygen saturation, or the percentage of oxygen, in your blood. A normal, healthy adult or child with functioning lungs has a blood oxygen level of between 95 and 100%. My impression from various things I read about COVID early on was that people who are otherwise asymptomatic can have a condition called "happy" (also called "silent") hypoxia, which means you have low blood oxygen levels but you're not aware of it. Fingertip pulse oximeters were widely recommended during the early days of COVID as a way to detect happy hypoxia. However, in poking around on the web, I came across a study at Penn Medicine that indicated that automated text messaging—regularly asking people with COVID whether they felt short of breath—was just as effective in terms of outcomes as patient self-measuring with an oximeter.

However, I don't get automated text messages from my doctor's office asking me about shortness of breath. In fact I've yet to see a sign from them that they're interested in how I'm doing. So I've been using the oximeter. There are a zillion pulse oximeters on Amazon; this is the one I happen to have, not that that matters. I just slip it on my finger a few times a day to check. Mainly reassurance, I guess.

After I encountered that Penn Medicine study, though, I figured I might need to know a little more, from an expert. So I reached out to John Hansen-Flaschen MD, a TOP reader who is also a highly distinguished pulmonologist (as well as, of course, a photographer). Here's what John told me:

Early on, when COVID infection was frequently life threatening, some people were found to have a low blood oxygen level before they developed severe shortness of breath. Other chest infections did not typically do this. Also, there was no quick COVID testing then. So, at that time, we encouraged people to buy a finger pulse oximeter and to test themselves at the first hint of any new respiratory symptoms.

Current omicron strains do not behave this way, so we no longer recommend pulse oximetry for early detection. Instead, when someone is known to have acute symptomatic COVID, a pulse oximeter can be useful in deciding when to go to an emergency room and when to be admitted to a hospital. A drop in oxygen % saturation of greater than 4 mmHg to below 92% is a reason to go to an ED for further evaluation. Below 85–88% may be a reason to admit someone.

So I guess I'm doing the right thing keeping an eye on it. John also told me that I'm at risk for long COVID, mentioning that "our clinic is overrun with people who have this distressing condition." Yikes. But then, I guess we've all known all along that COVID is inherently a "yikes" kind of thing to start with. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have that.

Finally, I called my doctor's office, and was told by a nurse that people who've had COVID can continue testing positive for up to 30 days even if they've recovered. She told me to stop testing myself, sort of implying that all I'm doing is driving myself crazy. So, okay.

Anyway, I am feeling a lot better—the penultimate remaining symptom, a cough, seems to be almost gone. The ultimate remaining symptom seems to be...good sleep. Not sure if I want that to go away. But I guess I'll know I'm really better when it does.

Good health to you and your family! In all ways, and always.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Tom Burke: "Very glad to hear you're getting better, Mike. Like you, the cough has been the last thing to disappear for me.

"You mentioned above that you're still testing positive. Is that PCR tests, or lateral flow test? It's well known that PCR tests can continue to pick up non-infectious viral proteins anything u to 90 days after infection.

"I think I mentioned in an earlier comment that I had found a reference to a study that looked at when people stopped being infectious. I've dug out the references. First, the summary from the Imperial College site; and this is the link to the study report in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.

"The message seems to be that the study found that less than a quarter of cases were shedding virus before the onset of symptoms; and that lateral flow testing was a poor indicator of the onset of infectiousness, but was very good at spotting the moment when you cease to be infectious. In my case I tested negative on two days in succession at the end of my illness (10 days after symptom onset) so I was OK to go out. Four days after that, however, a PCR test (in connection with a survey I'm enrolled in) came back with a positive result. I decided that the latter result was an example of the problem with PCR test results after you've been ill."

Commenting Note

In case you're leaving a comment to the "Best Videos" post below, if you wouldn't mind doing us a favor, please leave a brief description of the video you're suggesting along with the link. That way people reading your comment can decide if they might want to go look at your suggested video. 

I've watched a bunch of videos since yesterday, including many excellent ones, but I can't keep up with all the suggestions.

Thanks!

Mike

The Ten Best YouTube Videos for Photographers?

I sat down to try to compile this the other day and so far have failed. I realize I keep a "mental list" of a lot of things, including remarkable YouTube videos that impressed me with their excellence—but I haven't kept track of such a list of videos relevant to photography.

But it seems to me that we should be able to do this as a community, with contributions by visitors as well. If we take the recently-mentioned video by Henry ("Hank") Wessel as a starting point, what other outstanding videos do you know that would together make up a list of videos that photographers can learn from, or greatly enjoy?

We need to keep variety in mind, and include lots of different things from different eras. I'm sure I'm forgetting some that we've already discovered and discussed.

Can you think of anything you'd like to nominate?

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Ed. note: Rather than post featured comments, since I can't review all the suggestions so quickly, I'll just leave all the comments in the Comments section. If you're suggesting a video, please leave a short description with the link to help guide other readers. Thanks!

Open Mike: COVID and Water (OT)

Tomorrow will mark two weeks I've had symptoms. I'm feeling generally better now, except for a few things: mainly fatigue and a cough. The cough isn't bad; it's what I'd describe as "nagging." I don't cough much, and it doesn't hurt much. I also have a dry congestion and some sinus pain. I've stopped losing weight.

The fatigue is what has power. I had difficulty staying awake all day yesterday—my mentation kept slipping into the "wakeful but confused" state that I recognize as stage 1 sleep. That's when you think you're awake but your thoughts are beginning to wander off in bizarre directions that aren't logical. Many people aren't consciously aware of this state—it's the normal first stage of falling asleep. At those times I'll have my eyes closed without realizing it, or catch myself beginning to doze. Happened all day long. I took naps twice yet still slept all night. Small chores are enough to make me tired, and I'll do things like sleep for 10 hours and then need a nap five hours after waking up. And I had a strange sensation two days ago—I was sitting at my desk, perfectly idle and relaxed, but at the same time was feeling a strong urge to go lie down. That was odd.

As a bonus, I'm sleeping soundly, which is a pleasure. I've had trouble with sleep literally all my life. I have vivid memories of learning how to get out of my crib for the first time when I was a toddler—one of the first skills I remember mastering. My parents would have to put me back to bed multiple times.

Danger, Will Robinson
I quarantined for five days as required (really six days, because the first day you notice symptoms is counted as day zero) and my doctor's office assures me that I'm no longer contagious, but I'm still keeping to myself and informing people that I've had COVID recently. I figure I'll let them make their own decisions as to whether they want to be around me. I'm doing most of my food shopping at open-air farmer's markets. I've been to grocery stores a few times, but I go at off hours and wear a KN95 mask.

Nationwide, we're still losing 517 people a day to COVID. That's the current five-day average. That's less than heart disease, cancer, and accidents, but more than stroke, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. Older people and those with severe underlying conditions are most at risk. You're five times more likely to get the disease if you haven't been vaccinated, and several times more likely to have severe consequences. I could kick myself—I probably have the Omicron variant, and I didn't get the latest booster that covered that. I meant to...I just didn't get around to it. I don't get around to a lot of things. That's not age-related—I've been that way all my life.

I'm doing my best to take it easy. My life doesn't scale down well—there are just things that I have to keep up with. A downside of living alone. No one else is going to cut the grass. I can be sick, just not very sick.

Water
In the middle of all this, the water failed! That was a significant worry while it lasted, mainly because of ignorance: I didn't know what was going on or what was going to fix it. Did you read about those people in Jackson, Mississippi, who were without water for weeks? I don't know how they did it. I was only partially without water for two days and even that was a significant hassle. You can go two days pretty easily without washing clothes or taking a shower or running the dishwasher. That gets a lot more difficult if you're talking about two weeks. Never mind two months. I found it easy to consciously ignore the plight of the Jacksonians when I was just hearing about it tangentially on the news (you know, that's them, doesn't affect me)—but I have a lot more empathy for them now.

I couldn't find a plumber at first—didn't even manage to speak to one—but I'm fortunate to "know a guy." He's a contractor, and hires lots of tradesmen. So if he asks for a favor, people step up for him, because he's the guy who gives them work. He had a plumber here within hours.

We went on a scavenger hunt in the woods. I vaguely knew where the well head was, but not exactly. It seemed to have disappeared. But of course it was just all overgrown. It's on the neighbors' property, which used to be part of this property.

Here's my shiny new possession that I paid a lot of money for! I treasure it so much I had it buried 150 feet in the ground. As you can probably guess even if you don't recognize it, it's a well pump. The date of manufacture on the old one was 1993, so it lasted 29 years, seven of which benefited me. Lucky me...I'm the guy who gets to pay for the next 29 years. If and when I sell this house, the next owner will get a lot of the benefit. You know what they say: Oh well. (Get it? That must be one of my best puns ever.)

A lot of expenses in life are a sort of lottery. When did you buy your house? What was the market like and what were the interest rates? Is your car a lemon or a peach? Did you ever have to buy a new roof for a house you only lived in for a few years? How expensive are your vices? It's a lot cheaper to collect cameras than cars.

I need to clear out around the well head so it doesn't get buried, and so it drains. That's going to have to wait until I feel better, though. 

So I'm back above the wash line, to use Hans Rosling's term. (If you've never watched that video, you should: you'll probably never again wash clothes without being grateful.) I have just what I had four days ago, except I'm poorer, and yet I'm all the more grateful for what I have. In fact, I think I'll go experience some first world luxury...by doing a load of laundry. Ahhhhh.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

PaulW: "Nine years ago I had a new roof, and many upgrades, installed. Two weeks later my home was destroyed in a flood. I caculated that it cost me a bit over $1,000 a day to own that roof. I should have bought some Leica gear and saved money."

Kevin: "Re 'The fatigue is what has power.' You said it !! Saturday evening, the 17th, marked three weeks since I first had COVID symptoms. My case was mild, in the grand scheme of COVID. But it was quite enough for me. Leaving work on Friday, September 16th, I thought; 'I feel like myself again.' The first time I'd had that feeling since before I was COVIDed on August 27. You'll get there, Mike. Just gotta wait it out."

Kye Wood: "Ooh! I reckon on winning this one. Since March this year, I have...

• Had a professional house clean $2,600
• Had the four water tanks cleaned $1,800
• Had the roof cleaned $1,000
• Replaced the hot water system $2,200
• Replaced the toilet $1,700
• Installed a water purifier with ultraviolet and dual filters $2,200
• Installed a 6.6KW rooftop solar system $8,000
• Replaced a retaining wall that stops the mountain swallowing the house $11,000
• Replaced the electric meter box and circuits $2,200
• Replaced IT cabling in roof and connection to street optic fibre $2,500
• Had dangerous trees felled and mulched $3,800
• Installed a concrete driveway entrance $5,800

"But...my two water pumps are working perfectly. So there's that."

Mike replies: Whew. You're right, you definitely win. If that's the right word....  :-)

Dan Khong: "Thanks for pointing me to the video clip on the washing machine. Enjoyed that. I still remember the days when we had a washer lady come by every few days to wash the laundry. Because of her, my mother had more time to spend with me. Now we have washing machines—and laundromats—so people have more time to write for blogs, read books and take pictures."

Mike replies: A reader pointed out that video to me originally, so I can't take credit for finding it.

SA: "I had the post-COVID cough too this summer and it didn't go away for over a month and was even getting worse. Doctor gave me cough suppressants and steroid, which didn't help much. An acupuncture specialist in my town cured me with a single treatment. She said that she has helped a lot of patients like this.

"She said that COVID can leave the immune system in an activated state for months, which leads to such symptoms. (Note that inflammation is a sign that your body thinks it is still fighting infection.) She pointed out some some sore spots on my body—various lymph type areas, the adrenal gland, etc. She stuck needles in various places for half an hour and when I got up the cough was almost all gone. She did another followup treatment a few days later, and I have not had any trouble since then.

"(She has a master's degree in Aerospace engineering by the way! Very nice person.)"

Open Mike: Aguantar (OT)

["Open Mike" is the often off-topic, anything-goes Editorial page of TOP.]

-

If you haven't been aware, a Spanish kid has become an absolute sensation in the tennis world. After winning the U.S. Open Championship, Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest No. 1 ranked player ever, at age 19.

Situations conspired to help with that ranking: Novak Djokovic's refusal to be vaccinated has kept him out of tournaments, and, in a completely separate matter, Djokovic was also denied the ranking points from his Wimbledon victory; Wimbledon had its ranking points withdrawn this year because of the tournament's refusal to let Russian and Belarusian players contend. And Rafael Nadal has had his late-career renaissance interrupted by recurring injuries.

In his maiden year on the tour last year, Alcaraz made a name for himself at the '21 Open with a run deep into the tournament before being forced to concede in the quarterfinals with leg cramps. At the end of last year he was ranked 32nd in the world. Then the deluge: so far in in 2022 he has won the Rio Open, the Miami Open, and the Barcelona Open. At the Madrid Open he became the first teenager ever to beat Rafael Nadal on clay (the adoring Spanish fans and press dubbed him "Carlitos," or "little man"), beating Djokovic as well on the way to winning that tournament, too.

Then the U.S. Open in New York. Several of his matches at the Open were epic, including his duel with the rising young American star Frances Tiafoe, 24, and especially the grueling marathon against the young Italian Jannik Sinner, who at 21 is barely older than Alcaraz. Sinner, who clearly played well enough to win against almost anyone, was dejected after the match. It didn't end until 2:50 a.m., a record that will hopefully never be broken. (Who was in charge of that? Fire that guy.) For his part, Alcaraz accomplished another rare feat: he became only the third man in open-era history to win a major after enduring three consecutive five-set matches. The New York Times says his team used the Spanish word aguantar, which means roughly "to bear up" or endure.

Carlos Alcaraz (photo by Yannick Jamot, slightly cropped)

With Roger Federer announcing his retirement just the other day, and the women's GOAT Serena Williams bringing her fabled career to an end at this Open, it's a huge pleasure to watch the new generation beginning to blossom. Here are the short highlights of the Open Final—23-year-old Casper Ruud of Norway is the other finalist—and the USTA has also posted extended highlights, which is like watching the whole match cut down to the action. And for an added treat, here are the extended highlights of Alcaraz-Sinner. A brightly-lit shop window showing off the excellence of the modern game. Great fun, and impressive as can be.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Gary Merken: "Casper Ruud's comments in the post-final interview were heartwarming. The final was held in New York City on September 11. He first paid extended tribute to the memory of those killed in the attacks 21 years ago. He was only two years old at the time of the attacks, making his comments, which showed a sensitive awareness and maturity beyond his years, even more remarkable. I hope to see more from this young man."

Hit Rate Zero

I had an experience shooting yesterday (finally got back to it after ten days of COVID) that sometimes happens. I'll go out, get into it slowly, but eventually "harvest" a few situations or stops along the way. I get into it, and various things seem to work. Then I'll get back home with high hopes and a catalogue of possibilities in mind and discover that...I was "cold" and didn't really get anything.

I only posted one fp-M sample picture from yesterday, "Vultures Eating the Remains of a Deer." Everything else, I felt, just fell a little short.

Vultures Eating the Remains of a Deer, Loree Road West of Angus

Ultimately there's a level of commitment to a picture that has to be there in order for it to have enough energy. With some of my shooting, I feel I'm just "playing tricks," returning to old strategies that I know work. Reflections, rocks, whatever. Bah. Many times they'll be things that I've seen a million times that other people do a lot, certain patterns and objects and "things I know that people will like." Odd things for sale at the side of the road. A car under a tarp. The old falling-down ruin of a house or barn. Or something a famous photographer made a picture of years ago that my picture looks kinda sorta like. None of it is really enough to give me a decent level of commitment to the picture. Or I'll take a hackneyed subject and "work it," trying to "make it mine," and then, reviewing the pictures, give too much credit to that effort, only coming slowly to the realization that it failed anyway. Sometimes when you struggle too hard to be clever is when you're at your least clever.

When I come home "empty" like that, though, something strange happens...I find that instead of working less over the lot, I'll struggle and work and worry over the files in that folder more. I try processing one thing after another, as if hoping something will offer itself. The feeling being, "there must be a decent picture here somewhere." Or, "something I tried must have worked." It's hard letting go of your failures. But you might as well. I've always felt that in photography there's not really any such thing as an "almost" picture. Either the picture works entirely or it doesn't work at all. Everything's a no that isn't a yes. And yet, we spend most of our time and most of our effort fretting and fussing over all the almosts.

Get out
Yesterday wasn't a total loss. [UPDATE: "Vultures" made Flickr's Explore feature on the 16th.] But I will just note that it took me a very long time—years—for me to learn that sometimes you can go out and not get anything at all. I always felt like if you shot a certain amount, some percentage must be "good." Even if it's a very small percentage. That's not necessarily true. Sometimes you can go out and get a hit rate of zero. It's possible. You just have to be ready for that, is all, and accept it. Sometimes, in fact, you can shoot for days, even weeks if you're stubborn, without accepting that your idea, the direction you're going, just has no energy, and that you need to redirect and reboot.

Being out with a camera is enough, though, actually. Because the magic can't happen unless you're out there with the camera in your hand. You're not going to find a picture sitting at home watching TV. If you're out and about, maybe you didn't find a picture. But you might have.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Sean: "I save myself from a lot of unnecessary suffering by expecting and excepting bad days. I've adopted a why-not-me attitude to disappointing outcomes, all in the service of the long view. It's the variability of the reward that makes me get back out there; it's the not knowing."

Stan B.: "Just getting...the one (as above), is what it's all about—any more is added (and much welcomed) gravy. On (very) rare occasions, more refined editing can provide the percentage point that will turn that almost into a keeper; usually, almosts are opportunities to learn and practice much needed discretion and discipline."

Tom Stermitz: "'A good day fishing should not bee confused with actually catching any fish.'"

Ernest Zarate: "Again, we find a lot to agree upon. I could wax on about the shooting experience, the editing and winnowing drudge, and so on. But I’m going to turn that over to the late Henry Wessel, in this KQED video made in 2007. The whole video is a worthwhile 8:12 in length, but the pertinent section starts at 3:37."

Mike replies: It's been a while since I've seen that, and it was good to look at it again. I've always thought of Henry Wessel as the model of the kind of photographer I would have been if I had been a photographer. Seeing some of his work always makes me want to go look at more.

Ernest: "Hank was my professor at SFAI, and also my mentor and my friend. I visited him at his home in Point Richmond on many occasions, and he at my home in Elk Grove, California. We went on photo shoots together in Santa Cruz, California, and talked at length, over the decades, about photography.

"When I was considering not doing photography any more, he wrote a lengthy letter to me, and then met with me, encouraging me to stay the course, which I did. His approach to photography is ingrained in my approach to the medium. I don’t do 'street photography' any more, but his philosophy transcends any one style or genre, as did he. As an adjunct photography professor at the local community college district, my guiding question was always, 'What would Hank do?' for his acceptance of student experimentation, and validation of their efforts was paramount in his teaching style.

"I feel, like many of his protegés, fortunate indeed to have had him as a professor. Many other photographers added terrific and valuable insights into photography for me, but none did it with the cheerfulness, the openness, and the complete acceptance Hank did. I miss him to this day."

Nick: "Ugh, that thing where you get stuck on an 'almost'! Most of the photos I've taken that I like best required almost no fiddling beyond the basic (straighten and crop just a bit, mess with the exposure and conversion to get the tones or colors distributed right, sharpen, publish), while the ones I spend forever fussing with usually never even end up on Flickr. I've gotten a bit better at 'Nope!'-ing out of a near miss over time, but I still occasionally find myself wasting 20 minutes moving sliders around trying to fix an annoying tonal merger or something."

David Dyer-Bennet: "This is maybe the biggest difference between 'kinds' of photographers. For photojournalists, event photographers, anybody working on documenting things happening, failure is not an option. (And...this is true even if you're just doing it for yourself, as opposed to having a boss/client who will notice your failure.) Which doesn't mean we don't fail. Some days there are no picture that I rate three stars or higher—nothing with a spark of life to them. One must proceed with what one has."

William Klein 1926-2022

Self portrait by William Klein

The title of his seminal book (you can't currently get it) was one of the great ones: "Life Is Good & Good for You in New York," although unfortunately it was then diluted with a three-word subtitle, after a colon, that now seems period-bound and anachro-hip, like the word "groovy," or happenings. I do love that he said that a limitation of the first book was always running out of film. I'll say. The book is resentment transformed into the visual (Klein hated New York), and, as Klein reports, American editors at the time thought the photos were "anti-American, and shitty." 

And tomorrow is the last day of his retrospective at the ICP in New York, which is ironic. Held over, but really too bad it couldn't continue for longer under the circumstances. The show is called "William Klein: YES: Photographs, Paintings, Films, 1948–2013." Curated by David Campany. Get over there and see it if you possibly can.

You can at least get that book.

His obituary made the AP, so that version is all over the place. The ones to read however are Andy Grundberg's workmanlike piece at the WaPo and Sarah Moroz's interview-based piece at The Guardian. A number of judiciously chosen quotations and pictures give a thumbnail portrait for those who don't know him. (I did think it a little sad that Mr. Grundberg felt obliged to define "Dada.") I've never read a great piece about WK. But perhaps fragments here and there is the proper way to go.

I was entering photography when he returned to it: he devised a signature strategy of presenting enlarged contacts with faux editing and cropping marks painted on in bright colors that was distinctively his but seemed just a touch precious and deliberately art-commercial. Admirable but nothing there to emulate. He called a contact sheet a madeleine.

A Frenchman born and raised in New York, he was the quintessential iconoclast, the quintessential outsider. He called his marriage "the love affair of the century." His style and his energetic rule-breaking underpin not only visual tropes that have long since wormed their way into the mainstream but also the popularity of rebellious rule-breaking attitudes. He foreshadowed Warhol, modern street photography, bad photography as good art, and the hybridized artist/professional (I actually never knew he did fashion during the same years he was working on New York, yet another discovery of Alexander Liberman's). If there was no William Klein, there would have to be. We really do need a new reprint of Life Is Good & Good for You in New York: Trance Witness Revels. (The DAP reprint, which did away with that wonderful title, was called New York 1954.55.) Internationally respected, never ignored, his fame was not matched by popular acceptance. But he did what he wanted. Klein was 96.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Kenneth Tanaka: "I was saddened, although certainly not surprised, to learn of William Klein’s death this week. He’s one of the few photographers, especially B&W photographers, who could inspire me to write many pages and wax poetically. By most accounts he was insecure, brash, and generally unpleasant around many people. It seemed to be his schtick. Ten years ago I had an opportunity to meet him in London but was ultimately unable to make the date. I lamented that miss for quite some time...but then realized that I would not really have been meeting the 'William Klein' I admired so highly.

"I have long enjoyed my collection of William Klein’s books, which live in a special ready-access location in my library. My personal favorite is actually a republication of the landmark book Mike cited. It’s New York 1954-55, published in 1995 by Dewi Lewis. In addition to more images than the original publication, it also features Klein’s comments on most of the images. One of that book’s most notable features is that it’s the only book I own whose traditional binding presents a full lay-flat design. This is such a critical success factor to making the book’s wall-to-wall full-bleed design so immersive! (You can watch a flip-thru of the book here.) Honestly, it’s one of the few books that have genuinely made me feel changed after viewing, and that I cannot seem to spend less than two hours viewing. Creepy.

"Many photographers’ obits claim they were 'influential' or pathfinders. It’s often more polite respect than fact. But in William Klein’s case it’s an understatement. His brash f-u attitude enabled him to plow genuinely new visual narrative grounds in both still photography and filmmaking. He was a big 'un!"

Nico: "Once saw a documentary about William Klein on the BBC. Sadly not available on their website and it’s blocked on YouTube. But I found it here. Mind: the original is one hour and five minutes. Enjoy."

Choosing a Grip for the Sigma fp and fp-L

The Sigma fp as shipped needs a grip. So I asked B&H Photo if they would send me all the ones they sell so I could try them all. They sent me four. I had a clear choice pretty much from the beginning, but I'll run down the plusses and minuses of all four of them for stills photography, in the order of least to most preferable to me. I'll use B&H's titles for each one at the beginning.

These comments also apply to the physically identical 61-MP Sigma fp-L.

FotodioX Deluxe Metal Camera Hand Grip for Sigma fp Camera with Wooden Accent and Battery Access ($59.95).

This one comes in a nice package, with the grip embedded in dense foam.

It's a baseplate-style grip. It struck me as having the least secure attachment to the camera—just the tripod screw and some ridges on the base into which the edges of the camera fit—although I'm sure it's secure enough. There's an oversize bronze-finished Allen wrench, longer than the baseplate itself (five and a half inches!), to help you batten it down.

The grip itself has beautiful wood grain and is deeply contoured. Although it's too small for my hands, I have to acknowledge that some people will be trying to preserve the miniature size of the camera itself, and will be looking for a small grip.

The FotodioX is the only one of the four that has an integrated Arca-style plate for tripod QR systems. The other advantage is that the baseplate depth is rather shallow, making it easier to grab the SD card out of the battery compartment with the grip mounted. A further disadvantage is that there's no augmented thumb grip, so you're stuck with the small pad for your thumb on the camera.

However this one is incompatible with the LVF-11 viewfinder, so it's a non-starter for me. Back in the box it goes.

Sigma HG-11 (small) Hand Grip ($58).

Of the four, the smaller of the two Sigma hand grips adds the least to the camera. And it's the lightest one, albeit by just a little. It attaches to the side of the camera, leaving the bottom and hence the battery compartment clear, and it provides a nicely ergonomic thumb pad that's helpfully slanted.

Note that although the grip attaches to the camera with a screw post, you can still add a strap lug for a neck- or wrist-strap. The hardware for the lugs is separate on the Sigma and are mountable into the camera or the grip using the extra screw hole on the grip. The grip is also nicely finished and matches the finish of the camera, as you would expect.

The trouble, again, is that the grip is just too small. It's not as bad as you might think; you can actually get your fingers partly underneath it which improves your carrying hold on the camera. But there's just not much extra to grab on to.

My guess is that this one would frustrate me on an ongoing basis. It was not for me.

Sigma HG-21 Large Hand Grip ($95)

This is the one Kirk Tuck recommended to me, and it's nice. Also made by the manufacturer, it's the most expensive of the four.

It's large enough. It offers the most secure connection to the LVF-11 viewfinder, which bolts directly into it. And of course, like the Sigma small grip, it matches the finish of the camera.

However, there are some design decisions here I could question. Why not give us a better area for the thumb grip? The one on the camera is not annoyingly tiny, but verges on that. Also, the baseplate is deep and both adds to the height of the camera and also makes it tougher to get your finger in to remove the SD card. And it's frustrating that, when it would be so easy to do so, there are no Arca-style plate grooves for a tripod connection, so you'd have to add still more height to the camera to get that. It's comfortable to hold, though, and I could live with it.

Which brings me to the one I chose:

SmallRig Wooden Side Hand Grip for Sigma fp ($40.14)

After trying all four I liked this one best. It's soft and smooth, with a good feel, yet provides a nice comfortable grip, and it provides a large blob in back for your thumb. It doesn't interfere with the bottom of the camera at all and yet still offers an attachment point for a wrist strap. It doesn't add much weight to the camera (49.2 g vs 44.6 g for the small Sigma grip, as measured), and it's the cheapest one of the four (now that the camera and 45mm lens are bargain priced, maybe that matters).

After I decided on this, I put it on the camera and went outside for a while to play around. Within fifteen minutes I had all but forgotten about the grip and was just enjoying the camera.

So this is the one that's staying at TOP Rural World Headquarters for the B&W Beastie.

Mike
(Thanks to B&H Photo)

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

David Wilson: "Really enjoying this project of yours, Mike. I bought a Niceyrig Leather Hand Grip for my Sigma fp and it suits my large hands. It locates my thumb well, provides lots of attachment points and doesn’t cover the camera base."

Kirk: "I still like Kirk's choice best. But at 5'8" and 155 pounds I probably have smaller hands. And you've got to find the one that fits your hands. Someone wrote about the color but if you have your mitts wrapped around the grip the right way how would anyone know? And, if we have another winter here in Texas like the one we had in 2020 it's nice to know that the real wood grip will serve in the fireplace much better than my choice of grip. With your eye on the LVF-11 you never notice the grips."

T. Edwards: "I think the whole search for a monochrome camera is a complete waste of time, that the Franken-camera you are cobbling together is ugly and absurd, and I look forward to reading each installment in the series."

The Progress of the Great fp Monochrome Safari

Note that I'm not reviewing the Sigma fp. I'm interviewing it. That is, checking out whether it's suitable for my own personal use.

I'm also not recommending it, as I stated once before. My personal needs and interests here are not typical. As a reviewer, I often recommend things for others, but that's when I'm putting other people first, taking their part and considering their needs and interests first and foremost. It's a different mindset. I am quite capable of doing that, but I am not doing it now. Now I'm thinking of myself.

I admit I got derailed there for a few days—I got COVID. I seem to be over it now, knock on wood, although I'm still fatigued and a bit weak and low on energy. (And sleeping like I did twenty years ago, which is delicious.) But I've continued to make some modest progress anyway.

Background
Jason M. loaned me a Sigma fp that he'd had converted to monochrome (i.e., black-and-white only) by Monochrome Imaging Services (MIS), one of several small businesses that strip the color filters off color sensors to render the cameras monochrome-only. Which made it into an "fp-M," a non-Sigma appellation meaning fp Mono. I used it for a few weeks and decided to buy my own.

After some delays (one part was backordered), my camera is here. It is currently unconverted, and I've tried a few alternatives with it—namely, shooting with its own internal Monochrome profile, and shooting in color and converting the to B&W in software. These experiments have made me unhappy, largely because I've done all this before with other cameras. Briefly: the Sigma DNG Monochrome profile is useless to me, because you need to use Sigma Photo Pro as a raw converter to process the files as B&W. In Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) they open as color files. With capture set for JPEG, they do open as black-and-white, but the JPEGs preserve even less highlight detail than Jason's converted camera does. Finally, I can of course open color raw files and set the profile to Monochrome in ACR, and then edit the B&W file to optimize it.

Before I get any farther, the results of doing that look very good. You don't lose a lot of sharpness, and the conversions offer more control than shooting with the fp-M...

...Which is what I don't want. Before you know it I'm dealing with two complications I don't want, namely 1.) would this image look better as a color image? and 2.) the B&W Mixer. When you change from "Color" profile to "Monochrome" profile in ACR, the "Color Mixer" changes to "B&W Mixer." It looks like this:

And the sliders change the value of each of those colors in the file conversion.

This is exactly what I don't want—a palette of endless possibilities for spectral ranges tailored to each individual image. The bottom line is, I don't want to deal with color when I'm shooting or post-processing. This isn't an accommodation to lack of competence; I'm perfectly competent to do that and I don't mind doing it. What it is is a preference: I don't want to do it.

I want to work in black-and-white. Currently, Leica is the only manufacturer that understands this from an artistic, aesthetic, creative perspective. All the rest of them DON'T GET IT. Say what you will. They do not understand.

Punk rock commitment
So that's why checking out the B&W options for the color fp are making me unhappy—I've been there, done that, and that's not what I want. What's been resonating in my head is Andrew Chalsma's comment: "I think sending it out for conversion before taking a color image is the only way to go. Punk rock commitment."

I did use the new camera just enough to check out whether it has any problems. The next step is that it goes off to MIS for conversion.

If you feel I've shortchanged the parts of this process you might have been interested in, I apologize, but I'm on the trail of something I've long wanted and I have to keep pressing. May I please use COVID as an excuse?

Meanwhile, my friend at B&H Photo sent me all four of the fp hand grips they sell, and it took me all of an hour to choose which one I like best. But that's a separate post.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

Rob de Loe: "I gained another, but different, window into your thinking recently. I'm not a potential Hasselblad X2D customer, but I was curious about Hasselblad's Natural Color Solution. Long story short, Hasselblad has built a nice route through the complexity of colour that starts with finely tuned cameras, and passes through their Phocus software to give you what amounts to one choice out of the box for colour. As a Fujifilm person, it was striking to open a Hasselblad X2D file in Lightroom and realize, there is only one camera profile. In comparison, with Fuji, there's a boatload of film simulations from which to choose. I'm not sure what I think about the Hasselblad approach, but I get the concept of keeping it simple for people who like things simple."

Herman Krieger: "Black-and-white is beautiful."

JOHN B GILLOOLY: "I think this all makes perfect sense. And it immediately makes me thing of two analogies. First, the decades-old MAC/PC debate. I remember the PC people always talking about the endless configurations and option of the PC platform. But I was never looking for an endlessly configurable computer—I just wanted a machine built for what I needed. Turnkey, very few choices, very few options. Apple provided that. And recently when re-engaging with film, all of the mentions of varying options of processing B&W film was also a turn-off. When shooting film I really don't want options. Part of the reason I'm shooting it is to limit options. Limit the available choices. An attempt to simplify the process of photographing down to the parts I love and value most—the capturing and sharing."

Photographic Links regarding the Late Queen

I've learned a lot about the royal family this week. I'm not a royal-watcher, nor do I identify with them in any significant way. Although of course you pick up a certain amount about them by osmosis, as it were, and I did learn the story of Diana at the time of her death (it involved photographers, after all).

But I've read a lot about the late Queen this week, including a biography I'm partway through. Of everything I've come across here are the three not-to-be-missed tidbits for photographers:

First, this lovely story from the former Queen's Police Officer, Richard Griffin. Various outlets have been rewriting and rehashing the story in written form, and people have been sending me links to one or another, but the original is this video. A lovely little anecdote.

Next comes the article from Popular Photography called "A closer look at some of Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite cameras."

Lastly, the most important one, IMO, from The Guardian, "The story behind the portrait of the Queen the palace used to announce her death," by Luke Dodd. I think this is the original; similar articles have appeared elsewhere. At any rate this is the best telling of it. Although it's a short little article, it's a rewarding read—it's like a little photography lesson from Jane Bown (note no "r." It's not "Brown"). Jane (1925–2014) is one of my very favorite photographers, a touchstone. I love her work, her methods, her thoughts about what she did. And I'm pleased she existed.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

One of Us in One Way!

Christopher May: "Let's not forget fact that the Queen was an avid photographer, too. Several photos exist of her with Rollei 35s and Leicas. One photo with the latter was even used to commemorate her sixtieth birthday on a stamp: 

"As an American not terribly invested in the every move of the royal family, her passing doesn't affect me directly like it does much of the world. I'm always saddened by the departure of a fellow photo-dawg, though. May she rest in peace."

Christopher

Mike comments: Hear, hear. Although I imagine the Queen might have felt that being referred to as a "dawg" would be beneath her dignity. So perhaps "photo-corgi" would be more appropriate in her case. And right, how can you not like someone who was into dogs, horses, and cameras all her life?

Fujifilm Goes the Nikon/ Sony Route (The September 8th X Summit)

As per the Fujifilm X Summit press event last night, it looks like Fuji is going the Nikon/Sony route, splitting its flagship camera into a "high speed" and "high resolution" pair.

The Fujifilm X-H2 made its debut last night. It has 40 megapixels, the highest-ever resolution in a Fuji X camera, as well as a pixel-shift mode for even higher resolution on a tripod, and is the first APS-C camera ever to offer 8k/30P video. The previously introduced 26-MP X-H2S is the high-speed variant.

Also introduced was a redesigned XF 56mm ƒ/1.2 II—the new one has 13 elements and old one 11, which means it's not the same design. The new lens has a larger filter size, 67mm vs. 62mm, and weighs more, 445 g vs. 405 g, but the $999 cost is the same. It's slated to ship at the end of this month.

Fujifilm GF 20–35mm ƒ/4

In addition, a GF 20–35mm ƒ/4 wide-angle zoom for the medium-format cameras was introduced. With a 16mm–28mm angle-of-view equivalent, it's an ideal range for a wide-angle, but the lens is still reasonably sized and not too heavy thanks to its modest but still adequate maximum aperture. The price is $2,499 and it ships on October 6th. There's no way to quantify this for certain, but this was probably the most requested lens that had previously been missing from the GF lineup—a single lens that can satisfy every wide-angle need and purpose for generalists, the only one you need to own or carry.

The camera's model name on the back and no "S" on the
front are the identifying markers of the new X-H2

While the X-H2S seems targeted at professionals and action shooters, the 40-MP X-H2 looks designed to appeal to people such as artists, enthusiasts, landscapists, fashion and portrait photographers, and printmakers. It also seems to have more to offer to stills photographers, in that the stills image quality of the X-H2S isn't better than that of the X-T3 or X-T4, but the stills image quality of the X-H2 is expected to exceed that of those smaller cameras. The physical design of the pair, which has drawn praise for being effective and efficient, is the same. An outstanding viewfinder is reported to be a highlight of these new cameras. The new X-H2 also costs a more reasonable $1,999, vs. $2,499 for the pro-oriented X-H2S. Cameras pre-ordered in time will ship on or around September 29th.

Several future products were teased, including two tilt-shift lenses for the GF medium-format lens line.

Mike

Thom Hogan: "Technically, it's the Nikon route, pioneered in the D1h/D1x, and iterated several times since (D2h/D2x, D3/D3x, Z6/Z7, and many suggest D5/D850)."

Mike replies: Fixed. Thanks.

David Bateman: "In response to your response to Dennis's comments, I don't think Fujifilm released the H2 series for photography, but rather videographers. The H2 (no s) is for 8k, just the sensor isn't really fast, so can't do everything. So they also released the H2s which has a fast sensor and can do many wonderful videos things, except 8K. So that is where we are. I wouldn't be surprised if this 40Mpixel camera sensor doesn't end up in other cameras. Or maybe it will as the market may demand it, but I don't think the camera was designed for photographers."

Kodachromeguy: "ByThom recently wrote about the new megapixel war and noted how many buyers insisting on more more more had murky ideas of their real needs. 48 'sounds' better than 24."