ellipsis…

i was at Chapters with a friend this afternoon and the cover of the new Triathlon Canada Magazine popped out at me. the cover has Canadian Olympic Team triathlete Kathy Tremblay. it wasn’t the fact that she was on the front of the cover, i actually had no idea who she was until later. what caught me was the fact that the picture almost looked identical to a picture i took earlier this spring. i have been photographing Canadian National Team duathlete Nik Vogler for the last 2 years. we had colaborated in April on some new images. one of the images was used for her website, and they caught a bit of buzz from her sponsors, Rudy Project inparticular. unfortunately Rudy wanted to use the images rights-free in all of their world-wide advertising. not even a hint of compensation, monetary or else-wise.

[side note: never give your images away for free to a big company, especially if they are going to be running it in advertising. licensing your work a big part of your photography business. Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua has a ton of good info on her blog about it, a couple podcasts too.]

anyways, the images come fairly close in rendition. and not just close in the way the picture was taken, but down to the styling, same hair and sunglasses style. they are both part of the same organization, Triathlon Canada, so i’m sure things get around. i am in no way accusing Mr. Jean-Francois Berube of copying, he is a fantastic photographer from Montreal and has a great folio of athletes. he also took a the picture of a little girl playing on a hop-scotch that’s drawn like a plane for Air Canada, it’s a great image… i digress.

i say all of this to emphasis the point that there is no such thing as a new idea anymore. there are new takes on ideas. new points of view. new ways of doing them. but, there are no new ideas. ideas flow. they’re just there. people tend to hold onto their idea so tightly. to a point where some people will ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement just to have a casual conversation about it. yes, i know, there are times where being hush-hush and tight lipped about a project is warranted. but come on, all of our inspiration comes from somewhere. and don’t tell me that it just came to you with no previous influences.

here is my only advice to you about new ideas, and i know that Nik will fully agree on this because, well, she’s the biggest advocate of it. just do them. create them. shoot them. and don’t wait. get your ideas down and solid. and if you see something similar, know that you’ve done it too. Mr. Jean-Francois Berube and i have two completely different styles of shooting, as you can see. his image of Kathy Tremblay is very commercial, where my images of Nik Vogler take a heavier fashion route. that’s how you make your niche in the industry. create and nuture your own style. believe in it, and sell it. and never appologies for it either.

Kathy Tremblay by Jean-Francois Berube

Nik Vogler by Me

Annie Leibovitz At Work is, well, Annie Leibovitz’s new book. Leibovitz is deemed as one of the most celebrated photographer’s of the 21 century. the book was published yesterday, Nov 18th, and i’ve already finished reading it LOL. i can safely say it was one of the only books that i’ve been able to read in one sitting. helps that she is one of my favorite photographers.

when i went to Chapters to buy the book yesterday i was a little surpised that the 240 page book is 90% text. the book was described as how she works. as of late, that translates in my mind as lighting diagrams, lens and camera selections, and pages of pictures with descriptions. the technical side of photography. as i started reading the book i realized that photography to Leibovitz had very little to do with camera she used or the lights she setup. photography was about people, her subjects, and the ability to capture a small facet of them. she is always more interested in knowing the person first before taking the picture. even scheduling two days for a simple portrait; day 1 to get to know them, day 2 to take the picture. the book really brings back the real purpose of photography for me, especially because i’m such a technical geek. photography is about the idea, the concept, that you envision to create. the feeling. the meaning. the moment.

she talks very little about gear or lighting setups in this book. actually she barely mentions it, even in her equipment section near the back. goes to show that she really doesn’t depend on it. and for all of you who are super curious about “what she shoots”, she mentions the Mamiya RZ67 more times in the book than another camera. says that the first digital setup was a Canon, but has changed digital setups 4 times in a year. she’s simple in her lighting and works mostly with natural light supplemented with strobes. Profoto lights mostly (that one’s for you Olga). but still after all of that, she easily dismisses all it.

i can definitely see myself picking up this book to read over and over again just to keep myself grounded. in some ways it’s very close to a autobiography. she documents all of the significant pictures she’s taken in her career so far, and what was happening in her life at the time.

definitely a good read for me. especially at this point in my young career. if you’re looking to find out how a great photographer sets up her lights, this isn’t the book for you. if you’re looking for a bit of inspiration from a great photographer who speak of how she arrives at the idea behind the photograph, pick up this book, i think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

side note:
i did realize from reading this book why i hate doing family pictures or formal corporate shoots. it’s because i hate pictures of people fake smiling. i find it disingenuous. there are very few pictures that i have taken where the subjects are actually smiling.

[update]
if you want a good on lighting, especially on lighting with small flashes like Nikon or Canon speedlights, then pick up Joe McNally’s new book, The Hot Shoe Diaries, when it comes out January 10th, 2009.

i’m starting a new category on my blog, Buying Tips. the one thing that i’ve come to realize is that i know more about camera gear then anyone else i know. i’ve been working at a local camera store for 5 years now (soon to be ending, YaHoo!), and i absorb information on camera gear like sports fans absorb stats. it’s kind of an odd thing to have, really it has no use outside of a store, but i thought i’d start to share what i’ve learnt about buying cameras, lenses, flashes, studio equipment and such, with everyone so that hopefully your buying experience might be easier.

buying tip #1: don’t buy from best buy
buying a digital camera these days isn’t as easy as it use to be. back 4-5 years ago film cameras still dominated the shelves. people who wanted to buy a digital camera really only had a hand full of cameras to choose from. did you want the canon that had 3x zoom or the olympus that had 2 megapixels? but now there are too many to even try to comprehend. even companies that traditionally make dishwashers and light bulbs are starting to enter the market. the feature sets are also out of this world; super high megapixels, zoom ranges, scene modes, macro capabilities, ISO rating… shall i go on. if you are looking to invest in a camera, point & shoot or digital SLR, how do you choose? most customers that i have helped rarely know even how to begin. and that is why you shouldn’t buy from best buy, or any other big box store. most of their sales staff are juggling the entire electronic department. would you like 1080i with your iPod?… (ok that was a bit geeky) not to say that the sales staff is bad, just that they don’t know nearly as much as about cameras as they need to, to help you make an informed decision. most will just hand you what they like most, or has the best sales spiffs. search out a local camera store, more than likely the sales staff eat and breath cameras, and only cameras, so they are equipped with the information you need to buy the right camera. try to find a sales associate that has a broad amount of knowledge on an array of camera manufacturers. yes, there is the canon vs nikon war. but as much as their bias works for them, it might not work for you. their job, if they are doing it right, is to find the best camera they have to suit your needs. here are a couple of things to keep in mind if you are fresh at the buying game.

1. keep your budget in mind. the industry is vast, and no sales associate likes hearing “i don’t have a budget.” you do, and it’s better that they know; most can smell the BS and will blow you out of the water with numbers. point & shoot cameras range from $50 to $700, digital SLRs range from $500 to well over $10,000, and lenses (which seem to be the biggest misconception) range from $200 to $10,000 as well. so the number game, just like buying anything else, is very important.

2. tell them how and what you are using the camera for. this is probably the best way to narrow down the huge number of cameras on the market to a few that you can start comparing. do you like to take pictures of wild life far away? butterflies and ladybugs? is your dream to be the next Ansel Adams or how about Annie Liebowitz? is the main use of the digital SLR going to be photographing your kids playing hockey in an arena? answers to questions like those will help you along your search a lot. and be as specific as you can.

3. ask the stupid questions. really do. like, “where do i put the film in my new digital camera?” or “what does the flower symbol mean?” it might sound stupid in your head, but we’ve heard them all before. it’s ok. that’s why the sales staff is there, and asking lets them know that you’re interested in learning.

4. play with the cameras as much as possible. the worst is buying a camera that has all of the features you like, but you hate using it. you’ll never pull it out if you don’t enjoy using your camera. i’ve had customers stay for hours (no joke) playing with every single camera they can think of. but really it’s the only way you’ll know if you’ll enjoy using it. just like test driving a car.

hopefully with those four points in mind you can march right into your local camera store and have the sales staff wrapped around your finger. support your local shop. most of the staff there are photographers themselves so they know what works and what doesn’t. create relationships with them and they’ll usually also have no problem finding the best prices they can offer you.

this is just the beginning of the tips. i’ll be getting more specific as time goes on. if you have a specific question about buying, using or comparing gear please feel free to fire an email off to me.