Friday 28 March 2008

Joe Mcnally.. "perhaps the most versatile photojournalist working today"



Joe Mcnally who is well known in the photojournalist world has recently set up a blog and YouTube channel where he is freely sharing his experiences and knowledge.

I recently finished reading his book "The Moment it Clicks" which is a bit different than the normal books on photographic technique, as it concentrates more on what it takes to be a photographer in the commercial world, and written in Joe's unique way, it really is a very entertaining read, plus as an added bonus it's jammed packed full of nuggets of information.

Above you see a video about what was involved to complete of photo shoot of the guy who changes the light bulbs on top of the Empire State Building and I don't mean the ones in the penthouse suite... you have to admit that along with a wicked sense of humor he also has guts..!

Lighthunters...

'Cazadores de Luz' are a group of 100 Spanish photographers who have set up there own private forum in an attempt to create an environment in which their collective talent can grow.

You may have read an article in El Pais or seen them on tve2, but they have been doing a bit of self promotion recently. There is also a book available, produced by National Geographic to showcase their best images.

As I mention earlier, their forums can't be read and are invitation only, so I can't really comment on the content, but there is also a blog and their galleries at Pbase. I have to admit that the watermark they put over all their images somewhat spoils the enjoyment and I think for images of such a low resolution its a bit over the top (comments left by many people are complaining about the same thing).

Are they being elitist by not sharing their forum, are they paranoid because they keep putting watermarks on their images or are they arrogant because they think their images are so good that everyone will want to steal them. You decide... it would be interesting to hear your comments...

Kicking the habit...


Wednesday 12 March 2008

I noticed there are two links to photography shops on the web on the list of links on the right. Does any of you had any contact with them in the past? Are they reliable? A few months ago I tried to order some kit from Foto Boom (something pretty standard but they were offering it at a very good price) and after two months and a few phone calls I gave up because it was clear I was not going to get it. One other aspect that is also relevant for me is that of warranty. I have seen places offering kit at very interesting prices but then the situation regarding warranties seems not to be very clear.

So, if you have any positive experiences with this or any other photography shops, web based or physical, I would be very interested in hearing from you.

Monday 10 March 2008

Whatever you want 2008...

Ten members presented their images for the open theme of 'Whatever you want' in the newly refurbished B.4.

Even though the 'delegation' type set up of tables was a bit grandios for the photoclub we battled on nonetheless trying to take up as much space as possible so we didn't look quite so lost.

As is always the case with this theme images were diverse with a selection of 3D images (like the one above... your going to need some 3D specks to see the effect though)... through to the preparations for the princes visit, underwater images, flowers, landscapes, buildings etc etc.

The club also welcomed Luis and Tim who presented images for the first time... we hope the experience wasn't too traumatic and and look forward to seeing more of your images in the future.

As always, please go and take a look at the galleries, and leave comments if you feel inclined and remember to give the 'thumbs up' to the images you like the most. It helps a lot to see which images everyone thinks are your best ones.

The next theme is 'Panning', which will be a lot of fun because normally you spend all your time trying to keep the camera still, but this time you get to move it around on purpose... anyway if you not quite sure what its all about you might want to take a look here as it gives an idea of the technique.

3 photo exhibitions worth seeing in Madrid


They are :

- Gabriele Basilico. Fundacion Astroc. Paseo de la Castellana, 56.
Architecture photography
- Jose M. Mellado. Blanca Berlin. Calle Limon, 28.
He is considered to be number 1 in digital photo in Spain. Photos of his travels to Cuba and Iceland
- John Baldessari. Pepe Cobo. Calle Fortuna, 39
Combination of human body, painting and sculpture

Hope you enjoy them,

Ruben

Wednesday 5 March 2008

Photographic Competition in Madrid...

The Fundacion para el conocimiento madri+d has opened the Fourth edition of its annual Photographic Competition, this year titled "La ciencia en la ciudad, la ciudad en la ciencia" ("Science in the city, the city in Science").

Its open to everyone older than 16 and resident is Spain (i.e. no restriction on nationality).

Prizes go from 1500 Euros to the photo elected by the judging panel, to 600 Euros for the photo voted by the general public, down to 120 Euros for the 20 chosen finalists.

You can enter up to a maximum of 3 images (JPG format between 500kB and 10MB) which have to be sent in, no later than midnight on the 16th April.

The images will then be available for viewing on their web page and public voting will be open between the 23rd April and 19th May (This is where Jose Manuel's voting robot comes into play ;-) ).

Selected images will also be exhibited during the Science Fair at IFEMA between the 24th and 27th April.

The final results will be announced after the 22nd May.

You can find all the finer details here, and also take the opportunity to checkout the winners of previous editions of the competition so you can get at least get an idea of the standard. The image you see above was last years winner.