Does the technology matter, and more specifically, does the camera matter?

Ahh, the 64,000 question. I have generally avoided in-depth discussions of camera equipment on the blog simply because I have always advocated and stressed the art of photography over the seeming obsession with technology these days. I also noticed that sites discussing the aesthetics of photography were quite rare.

Two recent articles on the internet motivated me to share my thoughts about this controversial subject. Ken Rockwell’s article “Your Camera Doesn’t Matter” inspired a sharp rebuttal titled “The Camera Does Matter” by the creator of the Luminous Landscape website, Michael Reichman. The cliché “it’s not the hammer, but the carpenter” comes to mind, but I’ve been through this before not so long ago…

(more…)

GPS technology has advanced tremendously over the last few years, and I’ve enjoyed using a Garmin 60CSx since last summer. It has become an indispensable tool for me, primarily for trail use while hiking and camping, and also while driving. A great website for GPS info that I refer to on a regular basis is GPS Tracklog, and they do a great job with news, reviews, tips, and anything else relevant to gps technology. A particularly useful function for photographers is geo-tagging, which is basically embedding gps data into the metadata of the image file. Metadata might typically include the date the photograph was taken and details of the camera settings. I’ll explain how it’s done on a Mac, but I’m sure it can be done in Windows as well. I’ve tried several different combinations of software, but these are the ones that work for me without any problems.

1. First, I use LoadMy Tracks to download the track data from my Garmin 60CSx into my MacBook Pro via USB. I usually reset my unit at the start of a hike or photo shoot, and save the track data when I’m finished, adding a descriptive name to the saved track. This way, I can refer back to it if I return the same location to shoot again, something I do quite regularly
2. I then use Adobe Lightroom to import the images from my memory card into my computers hard drive. Next I use GPSPhoto Linker to load the gps track data and the images, and the program does its magic, using the times from the images to sync them with the time and location from the gps data. It then adds this information into the metadata of the raw camera file.
3. I then return to Lightroom and re-import the metadata for all images, and Lightroom adds 2 new rows to the metadata panel showing the gps coordinates, and a link which shows me the location where I shot the image in google maps - very cool.

Technorati Tags: photography

Canon finally released their official report on the longevity of their Lucia inks which are used in their pro level printers including my recently purchased iPF5000. The test was conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research, an image testing company that provides contract testing to clients on the stability and preservation of traditional and digital color photographs and motion pictures. The company publishes brand name-specific permanence data for desktop and large-format inkjet printers and other digital printing devices. This report was long long overdue and very much anticipated by everyone in the industry since the permanence of inks and papers is so important when selling fine art photography. The great news is that the Lucia inks were rated to approximately 100+ years for colorfastness, meaning no fading or other degradation of the print. This means my customers can be free of any worries about the quality and permanence of my fine art prints.

I am often asked whether I digitally enhance my images, be it in Photoshop or other digital manipulation program, and I always answer “absolutely”. I’ve often been told by other photographers “you must be a Photoshop expert”, or some similar comment to that effect. I don’t resent such comments and assumptions, because I’ve worked extremely hard at the art, skill, and craft of landscape photography. I’ve also spent countless hours mastering the tools available that allow me to create images that express what I felt when I made the photo. I am going to examine each of these two areas in more depth so that others may have a better understanding of how I create my images and what the process entails, without getting to deeply into the technical aspects. I’ll save that for another post… (more…)

I’ve had the new Canon ipf5000 inkjet printer for just over 2 weeks, and aside from a few hiccups the first few days, it’s working and printing beyond my expectations. I received one of the infamous defective roll feed units, and after a call to Canon support, a technician arrived at my studio a few days later with replacement parts and repaired the problem.

I also upgraded the printers firmware to the latest version, as well as the driver and software for my PowerMac G5 running OS 10.4.8. I then downloaded all of the profiles for the papers I planned on using from BookSmart Studio, an excellent resource for free generic and custom printer profiles for many fine art papers and printers. Thanks to Eric Kunsman for the variety and quality of the profiles which gave me great results. The Canon ipf5000 wiki has also been a great resource for the many questions I had about the printers operation…the included manual is fairly useless.

I’m getting ready to participate in several art shows this year, so I wanted to use the ipf5000 to print the majority of the images, especially since it can print up to 17 x 25 borderless using roll paper. My favorite papers right now are Crane Museo Silver Rag, an excellent fiber-based semi-gloss paper, and Innova Fibaprint Ultrasmooth, a very fine matte paper. I also use Hahnemuhle Photo Rag and Fine Art Pearl, depending on the image and size. The ipf5000 produced excellent results on all of these papers, with saturated colors and deep blacks, and beautiful blues and reds, due I’m sure, to the 12 ink cartridges. Skies looked much more realistic and had more depth than what I was used to on my Epson R2400, and black and white prints display rich blacks and very good detail in the shadows. More on fine art papers in my next post…

The biggest surprise has been the efficient use of ink, especially since replacing all of the cartridges costs almost as much as the printer. Considering that the cartridges that come with the printer are only 75% full, I still have 60% on all of the inks after making about 35 prints. These were all 13×19 and 17×25, which really show how economical this printer is with ink. I’m sure I’ll be able to print all of the images I need for the fist two shows without needing to purchase any new ink, about 100 prints in total.
So far I’m extremely pleased with the printer’s performance, and I’ll post another entry with more impressions in a few weeks when I finished with the prints I’m working on.

There is a great in depth review of Adobe Lightroom on the Ars Technica website. They compare it to the other major RAW processors, and especially to it’s main rival, Apple Aperture. Good reading for anyone having a hard time deciding which one to use.

I’ve been using Adobe Lightroom as my main RAW converter and image management system since beta version 1, which was released last year. Previously I was using a combination of Adobe Camera Raw, iView Media Pro, and Capture One Pro depending on the image and my mood. With the release of the final version next week, I’ve decided to make it my primary solution, together with Photoshop CS3, for my complete workflow. Based on the last beta 4.1, which is very stable and feature rich, and what I’ve seen of the improvements and enhancements to the final version, I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.
Although there are other programs like Lightroom available, namely Apple Aperture, I find the combination of a great interface, a visual approach to editing, and great quality output give Lightroom the edge, and make it the best solution for me right now. I plan on posting regular Lightroom tips in the future for anyone who can benefit from them. In the meantime, here are some online resources to get you started:

• LightroomKillerTips.com has frequent updates with video clips, customer spotlights, and more.

• The Online Photographer lists new Lightroom titles from Martin Evening, Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, Tim Grey, Mikkel Aaland, and John Beardsworth, with links to buy each online.

• RawWorkflow.com has posted a series of free videos. They also sell the great WhiBal card that I never leave home without.

• NAPP has a Lightroom site with video tutorials, tips, and their new Darkroom Magazine dedicated to Lightroom.