Joe Brown's World of Digital Photography

The Final 2008 Tally

2009-01-07T04:03:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is again, time for my annual tally of photos.

As you may remember, my filing system makes it easy for me to track my year to year photos, and I do so just for the newspaper photos - I think it is an interesting way to see how my newspaper work is going.

So to refresh your memory, here is the 2007 tally:

178 GB total
80,771 files
1230 folders

And now (drum roll please) for 2008:

391 GB total
77645 files
980 folders

If you look at the GB total, there seems to be a significant increase, but there is a good explanation for it. I switched from D200 to the D300 early in 2008, and at that time, I rethought my methodology and my workflow, which increased my file sizes.

I am hoping all my readers had a great holiday season!

Seven Years

2008-11-23T18:14:00.000-08:00

"... Mr Marley has been dead these seven years, he died seven years ago this very night." spoken by Scrooge during "A Christmas Carol"

That line from the classic work by Dickens, really sticks in my craw this year - it has an extra meaning to me - Let me explain.

It was seven years ago this weekend, that my good friend and mentor Joseph Hakey of Wakefield Massachusetts passed away and in the interim, I have thought about him constantly.

You see Joe's passing was at the most inopportune time -like a passing can be at a good time - no I mean in his career.

We were all JUST turning to digital cameras, dit cams, as we called them, and Joe was fascinated by them.

You may have heard me speak of the Old Fart Press Photographers of the North Shore. Well many of those meetings were attended by and presided over, if you will, by Joe and at that time, we all spoke of the upcoming revolution. We really did not know about Megapixels and Resolution, or photoshop or CF cards or any of that. The cameras we talked about were two piece units or the Kodak DCS models - built on either a Nikon or Canon frame but still two pieces. Those were the days!

But we would sit in the darkened back room of that Chinese restaurant, and we would talk of days that had gone by and of days to come. It is the days to come that I miss talking with Joe about.

He had a unique view of the world, I will always remember his sage advice - " A fee is a fee is a fee...", meaning that of you got a job as a freelancer, do the best you could cause you were making your fee and that was your living and you needed to do it often.

We would speak of scanning old slides and negatives, old games and assignments we had done, and how the digital camera revolution would change the business.

It is that topic that I miss talking to Joe about. I wonder what kind of camera Joe would be shooting, and if he would have totally embraced the digital camera revolution. I often wonder what he would shoot for cards and how it would have changed his whole business model. Yes we were technically competitors, but that never really played into our discussions.

I really miss Joe and if you knew him and wish to add a comment or a memory I would love to hear what you have to say.

High ISO - My Thoughts

2008-11-15T06:48:00.000-08:00

A connundrum exists here in the digital photography world.

As photographers, we yelled and screamed at camera manufacturers to give us higher and higher ISO's with lower and lower noise so we could shoot in darker and darker situations.

Well, we pretty much have that now. Indeed the current and upcoming crop of cameras have tremendous ability to shoot in low light with great results.

The connundrum is that photodog's everywhere now do not know how to us high ISO to their advantage. Not just amateur photographers, but many, many, and did I say many, professional photographers.

I was shooting football, at night, recently and one of the guys was commenting about how nice it was to shoot tonight's game at 6400 ISO. I was incredulous. The light at this field is gorgeous and you truly need no more than 1600 ISO to get great action stopping, sharp photos. I have cranked my Nikon D300 to 2000 and 2500 at this field and they photos are fine, but here it is - the Joe Brown Theorum on High ISO:

LESS IS MORE.

That is it. LESS IS MORE.

If you can get away with a lower ISO, then do so.

You will, in general be MUCH happier with your photos than cranking it up to a high ISO just because you can.

The Bestest Darn Softbox --- EVER

2008-11-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

y of you know of my association with SOPHA Studio in Manchester NH. It is a fantastic place to practice the craft of controlled photography, and learn the craft from those who are willing to teach.

Now since SOPHA has a drive in cyc wall, they have that lit with

the biggest softbox I think I

have ever actually seen. It is big enough to light a car front to back, and has something like 7 lights in side of it. Beautiful.

Well, I have found one bigger! And softer! And a joy to work with! Anyone want to guess ??

It is a FOG BANK!

Yes indeed. Fog. Which is a cloud at ground level.

I know you all think I have lost it, but read on:

I have been shooting lots of sports assignments over the past few days, and the weather here in New Englan has been nothing short of murky. But this, I feel, is an advantage. The sun goes down around 4:30 which requires the lights at the fields to be the primary source of illumination for the soccer or football games. Now invariably there are areas of the field that are unevenly illuminated. It is the nature of the beast.

So here is where the fog comes into play. The fog scatters the light around, and that softens it. But it also fills in some of the shadows, as all thouse photons bounce around. COOL EFFECT!

Here is a shot from Reading High School in Reading Mass during half time of last night's Football game. I realize there are no players on the field, but I am posting this to show the conditions.

Even the kids playing pickup football are fairly well lit.

And that is what takes your photos from snapshots to well crafted photos, see the light and where it does and doesn't go and use it to your advantage.

Well It's Happened Again....

2008-11-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

Last night I bumped into a photographer I had not seen in a while. He was proudly, and rightfully sho, showing off his new Nikon Dxxx (the model is not important to this discussion). He told me had it only a couple of weeks, and was really enjoying using it. He pointed out how easy it was to shoot night sports events, as the unit did high ISO with ease.

So I asked him about a particular feature, and all I got was a blank look. Yup, truly a blank look. So for the second time in two weeks, I asked a photographer about his camera and I got the old blank look for an answer.

So here we have two of the best local photographers, both masters in the craft, and they are now using equipment they did not totally understand.

Pardon me, but this totally blows my mind.

Seriously - guys: RTFM. PLEASE !!!

For the rest of us: RTM. (Expletive deleted). Please.

Thats right. Make a cup of joe, find a cozy nook, put the camera on your lap and read it. If even only for 15 minutes. Skim it if you dont have time to study it, but at least hit the highlights.

Then go out and shoot. Anything, the lawn, the neighbors cat, your 18 year old roommate, anything. And come back in and read the book some more.

So when I bump into you, and you proudly point to your new camera, you can tell me all about it, and I know my work has been done!

A Nice Photo Find....

2008-08-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

Hello all - welcome to the next installment of my blog, I apologize for not writing sooner, I am sure you all (all two of you who read this -hi mom!) have been chomping at the bit to read my next missive. Well kimosabe, your wait is over:

In photographic terms, more specifically in camera terms, I am but a youngster. Many of the friends and acquaintances I have can tell stories of olden days, with bigger cameras, and single shot Speed Graphic 4x5 cameras and more. And I have to tell you, this old technology (if you will) fascinates me. I love looking at the old cameras and trying to imagine covering a game or a fire with one of these. Certainly digital is different than all of that!

In that spirit, I have a small collection of cameras and I am always looking for ones to add to that. I am not hardcore, scouring the ends of the earth for cameras, more just a recreational, casual collector who adds what he can find as he finds it.

Well, in response to an internet posting, a gentleman from Tewksbury Massachusetts notified me that he had a couple of cameras to give away, and was I interested. Sure! So I went by his place and grabbed them from him.

First camera is a Polaroid J66. It is in minty condition, and has all the accessories including the original box - nice add to the collection!

But it was the second camera that had a little extra with it and really added to it.

The camera is a Kodak Duaflex II with a Kodet Lens. An interesting design, with a waist level finder using a mirror (so this is NOT a TLR in the true sense of the word) and a true plastic body. These were made in somewhat limited number in the early 1950's, and are still pretty common today.
So the camera is great, and it is in mint condition too, but can you imagine my amazement to also find the one thing I usually never find with old cameras - FILM !

Yes indeed I found 2 rolls of film!! BOTH ROLLS are BRAND NEW - NEVER OPENED!
But they have both long since EXPIRED! As you can see in the photo, they both expired in 1953! Yes indeed 55 years ago!

There was one other item in the old camera bag also, and I had really only heard stories about these, and that is flashbulbs. A sleeve of them. These are old Number 5 Synchro Press bulbs. They are basically the type you screw in, and I have been told that on dry days, if you happen to be charged with static electricity, you could set these off in your pocket, and get a burn!
Can you guess my next thought? Hmmmm, I have a camera, I have some film, I even have some bulbs. Should I ???? I think I might!!!

I will keep you posted !!

History and Influences

2008-06-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

I started my photographic journey in about the 6th grade, with a Polaroid camera and a pack of instant film. As a 7th grader, I was allowed to use the family 126 Kodak camera. I will certainly never forget buying my first real camera - a Pentax K1000.

I was a ninth grader at Arlington Catholic High School, and just across Mass Ave from the bus stop was (and still is) New England Photo. The owner was (not sure if still is) a man by the name of Ara. I believe he was Armenian. Extremely nice man, from whom, I purchased several cameras.

As an aside, I will always remember the day a friend of mine came back from New York City and had lost all of his equipment in a car break in lower Manhattan. He really loved the Canon AE-1 Program he had and wanted another one of the same. However, it had been several years since the AE-1 Program had been in production, and they were hard to come by. I thought that if anyone had one to sell, it would be Ara. So we went to the store and asked, and Ara said he thought he had one. Well, after a few minutes Ara came out of the back room, in what could be called High Procession, with an AE-1 Program, but not just any AE-1, a BLACK one! NEW IN THE BOX, and as I recall, it was a kit with the 50 mm lens all wrapped up together. My friend bought it in heartbeat, and I was proud to have helped him.

Back to my Pentax - I got the K1000 and a 50mm F2.0 lens from Ara, and my parents paid for it. I remember the whole kit and caboodle being $119.oo plus the tax, and my mother was extremely skeptical about what would happen with this major purchase. Well, that camera served me well. I learned so much from that box, I was in heaven. I took that thing with me everywhere, and Mom constantly reminded me of it's safety and make sure it did not get stolen.

So it is that I cannot remember when I upgraded that camera, it may have been when I returned to good old Woburn High. But I remember moving up to the Super Program, then the ME, then the ME Super, and that camera served me through my brief stay in college, and then beyond.

It was late 1987 that I started with the Woburn Daily Times newspaper group as a freeelance photographer and I purchased my first Nikon FILM camera. An FE. May have been an FE2. Nice camera, and it served me well.

I upgraded on a fairly regular basis and used a pair of F4s's for film cameras for all of my assignments.

So why the walk down memory lane? Well two reasons.

First - I have been asked to be the guest speaker at the upcoming Reading Art Association's Annual Dinner on June 11th, and I need something to speak about, so I have been going over some of my old stories and photos for some inspiration.

But moreso there was a small article in the NY Times newspaper today (6-3-08) that spoke of one of my earliest influences in photography (though I am not sure I should be proud of this - read on.)

As a photojournalist at the Woburn paper, several freelancers came and went and we all had to share assignments and mostly darkroom space. It was a constant struggle to schedule time to get developing and printing done.

One of the freelancers who spent some time with us, was a man called Steven Senne. He is now a bigtime photojournalist with the Associated Press based in Boston.

As he was leaving to move on in his career, he presented me with a book of photography and told me that I was like this man - Arthur Fellig - also known as WeeGee.

I was chasing fires and news nearly 24 hours a day in those days, cutting my teeth as they say and trying to get established in the photography business. WeeGee was the ultimate in spot news or crime photographers - based in New York City - the crime capitol of the world. He was in some persons eyes, the ultimate papparazzo also, as he photrographed the seedy side of NYC when not chasing ambulances. His moniker of WeeGee was a play on the title of the Ouija Board a game which supposedly predicted the future - WeeGee could seemingly predict where the crime was and oft times was there before the police.

Have a look at this article and try to remember it the next time you are out perusing a yard sale - you never know what you may find.

Old Photos Found at Yard Sale

It makes me wonder - if I lose a box of my photos, will some museum want my stuff long after my death?? :)

I LOVE the smell of Terabytes in the Morning...

2008-05-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

OK, I know, that is SO overused it isn't even funny.

But it is the truth! Amen it is!

You see, I just added 2 TERABYTEs of Hard Drive Space to my old ancient machine, that will easily carry forward to my next machine, which I am configuring now. So as I write this little missive, one of the 1 TB drives has finished formatting and we are 25% of the way through the 2nd.

Why two TERAbytes you ask? I am glad you asked this! I will be the first to admit that this is a lot of storage, and does everyone need it? NO! Do I need it ?? YES, YES and YES! I am currently generating an average of 1 GIGABYTE of photos per day, nearly seven days a week. On a really busy day, I can generate 4 or 5 GIGABytes of photos. I am also now recording live sound at some of the assignments and creating audio slide shows. And it all adds up to needing mucho storage.

The Final Tally

2008-01-25T05:01:00.000-08:00

You may remember my blog posting late last year about the number of newspaper photos I have taken over the years. (Story Here).

Well here is the final tally for 2007:
178 GB of photos, totalling 80,749 files, stored in 1,230 folders.

To recap 2006, 177 GB, 80,647 files, in 1747 folders.

So to do the math, a reduction of 30% in folders, but since the file sizes have gotten bigger (and presumably better), the overall total stays the same.

I dunno, I don't think I did 30% less work! But hey you never know! LOL

NIKON D300 Report

2008-01-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

As I approach the one month anniversary of my acquisition of my Nikon D300, I was asked by my Colorado friend if I was really happy with it.

Before I answer that, I would like to remind everyone of the mantra that I, and my photo friends Bud and Dave, preach - the camera is ONLY a tool. It is the photographer that creates the image, or captures it to film and pixel. Indeed, some of us are Nikon shooters and some of us are Canon shooters and they both do a fine job.

So let me speak about my new D300. Nikon's newest budget ($2100!) camera is a joy to use, and yes, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.

So there I said it. Go ahead, diss me, flame me, yell at me, but I will still stay the same - I LOVE IT. It is the finest digital cmaera I have ever used. The quality is awesome, the colors are beautiful, and the skin tones are just magnificent.

I was specifically asked about the High ISO quality of the photos and I must say that this is where I think this camera really shines.

Many of you know that I do a lot of low-light shooting at High School gymnasiums, wrestling rooms, and ice hockey rinks for the newspaper. Now using my D200 was actually a very nice low light - high iso experience, as long as you maxed it out around 1600.

Well now I shoot all the way up to 3200 and the noise is nearly non-exsistant. Conversly at 200 ISO, which is the bottom iso for this, the results are breathtaking.

So here is a photo, I shot recently at the O'Brien Ice Rink in Woburn, it was taken at 2000 ISO:

Clicking on the file will bring up the original, from the camera, untouched, photo (caution large file). Please notice her right eye - it is sharp as a tack (remember this is 2000 ISO). Now notice the noise pattern, especially in the shadow areas. WOW. PLEASE NOTE - I only shoot at MEDIUM resolution for the newspaper, so the above photo is about 6.3 MP in size. I am certainly willing to send a 12.8MP file of another high ISO shot to anyone for comparison purposes - just let me know.

Here is a closeup of the area for those who do not wish to download the whole file:

Beyond the high iso quality, I am amazed at the battery consumption of this camera. I would not have, anytime in the past, gone into an assignment with less than 3 batteries for the camera. Well that has all changed. The 300 sips from the EN-EL3 battery pack, and I am routinely getting 1200 - 1400 photos from a single battery on a single charge. As a matter of fact, and my intern Melissa can attest to this, we went to a Girls Basketball game the other night, and I had only 8% of the battery left, per the camera's LCD, and I shot the second half of the game without even thinking about it. Did I have second battery with me? Of course I did - I would be foolish to not have one, but am I confident in this cameras abilty with that low a battry power?? YES I AM!!!

Problems:

OK, now you and I both know that there is no such thing as a perfect anything, there will always be, IMHO, a problem with something, especially with all things mechanical. And this camera I am sure is the same.

But I have not yet found anything to report. Yup, nothing. Everything works as advertised, from the drive, to the sensor, to the flash,l everything is peachy.

I do have one problem with it - and it is probably the best problem to have:

I call it CHOICE OVERLOAD.

There are so many choices to set in the menus that it really is overload. I give the example of white balance: No longer do you choose Sunny, or Cloudy or Flourescent - now there are subsets underneath: Under Flourescent for example, you have White, Cool, Warm, Sodium, Mercury, etc etc. Sheesh - just how the Heck am I supposed to decide?? Ya ya I know - do a custom WB!

Anyway, that is my story and I am sticking to it.

As always, comments and critiques are always welcome.

Gallery Show

2007-11-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to everyone that I will be opening my first ever gallery show on Sunday in Winchester.

It is open to all and will be held at the Aberjona River Gallery at the Aberjona Nursing Center at 184 Swanton Street in Winchester.

The opening is Sunday Nov 18th from 3 - 5 pm and light refreshments will be served.

Hope to see you there!

20 Questions.....

2007-11-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

I was recently contacted by a college student, and asked aout my career. I thought I might share the exchange with you all. Feel free to comment or ask any questions....

Joe,
I am currently enrolled in a News Photography class.
One of the requirements for the course is to complete
a report on a contemporary photojournalist. Would you
be interested in being interviewed for my report?
Thanks,
Adam

I agreed to help him, and he sent me the following questions. Each is followed by my answer...

1) What is your background and education?

I don not have any extensive photography training. I picked up a camera in the 6th grade and basically never put it down. I have in my lifetime only taken a couple of organized courses. But I have attended many seminars and the like and photography comes somewhat naturally to me.

2) What types of work do you produce?

I am a general photographer - I produce what the newspaper needs everyday, and then for my commercial work it is whatever the client needs - that is one of the biggest joys of this job - I NEVER EVER have the same day twice.

3) If you have won any significant awards, what are they?

OK I have to admit that I am not big into competitions and awards. I have won a couple of awards from the New England Press Association and several blue ribbons and a best of show from the Woburn Guild of Artists, but really they are not the driving force in my work. I do not go out everyday and look for art to win awards. I look for art to fill the newspaper and tell the story of what life in Woburn and the surrounding area is like.

4) Why did you choose photography?

Well, this is a long story, but here is the nickel version of it ... as stated I got my first camera in 6th grade. I was in a class for "gifted" students when the teacher tossed me a camera, told me to dissect it, and write a report. Well, I was hooked - but not enough to make a career out of it. My true love was (is) the ocean, and all through school I worked on getting my commission to the Naval Academy or the Coast Guard Academy. Well, and this is somewhat ironic, I failed the physical exam for both of those schools due to my EYESIGHT. Yup, my uncorrected vision prevented me from pursuing my dream, so I just picked up my other dream, and ran with it. After a couple of years out of High School and finding regular college was not for me, I began selling cameras at Hunt Drug in Melrose, and through some of the customers there, I landed the gig at the Woburn Times newspaper, which then through a number of events, became a full-time gig for me (and happily so!)

5) What are your sources of inspiration?

Wow, this is a hard question, but here goes - in the early days of my photo career, I was chasing ambulances a lot, and spending ungodly amounts of time out on the road. This prompted a friend to introduce me to the work of an old NYC photographer called WeeGee. He was the ultimate spot news photographer and I still to this day love looking at his work. More recently, meaning 20 years ago, I was taught the craft and art of photography and darkroom skills by George Rizer of the Boston Globe, Jon Hill of the Boston Herald, and double Pulitzer prize winning photographer Stanley Forman. All of whom I am now proud to call friends. I also learned a lot from nature and landscape photographer Arthur Griffin. Arthur's books have been an inspiration to me for years and I am most grateful that I got to know him before he passed away. More recently I am also inspired by Lou Jones' work - he is just fantastic, and by some of the work of William Thorpe, Adam Seligman, and many of the photographers at the SOPHA Studio in Manchester NH. You know, IMHO, it is hard to limit this list to a handful of people, as I really believe we are inspired by every image that we see. Even when we make the I like it / I don't like it judgement of a photo or piece of art we are inspired by that piece.

6) Do you have any special techniques or tips?

I don't really have any special techniques that I use, as for tips well, there I am loaded! First off - I think every serious photographer should learn how to develop and print their own B&W FILM. Yes I said FILM. Find a camera, shoot a roll or two and find a darkroom to process it. Learn about the magic of the dark. I really mean that. My darkroom experience has been able to help me with Photoshop. I know that may sound strange, but it is absolutely true. Secondly - pay attention to light. The direction, the color, the intensity - even when you are NOT photographing. Learn to see where the light is coming from and where it is going. Look at reflections and glare and try to learn from it. Light is a fascinating subject and since it is a close as a flashlight in your hand, or as far away as a distant galaxy, it will NEVER be the same twice. Look at it and learn it. It will make you a stronger photographer. Finally, get down and get dirty with your photography. I learned that as a child from that old TV show the Magic School Bus. Get down and get dirty. I do not believe that the "rules" of photography are written in stone. The rule of thirds, or triangular composition, or even that the sun needs to be behind your back for the best photos. NO NO NO!! Break the rules, find your own rules and then break them. Shoot, learn, shoot learn. And always remember to have fun.

7) What type of equipment do you use?

I am a Nikon Digital Shooter, but I learned with a Pentax K1000 film camera and had several other Pentax cameras before switching. I have the normal compliment of lenses and flashes. But please remember that the equipment DOES NOT MATTER. It is the person behind the shutter button that makes the tool work.

8) Is there anything else you would like to mention?

Well, now that you have me writing, I could go on forever. But I think I could leave you with this. As stated above, I believe you must be open minded about photography. I have been doing photography for more than 20 years now and I strive to learn something new about the craft and art everyday. Do I succeed in that? Not always. But I try. One of the joys of digital, beyond the instant gratification of seeing the photo on the screen, is the ability to shoot and shoot and shoot. The ability to learn and experiment. I remember the film days - would I hit the shutter and burn through a roll of film with out thinking about it? No way. I am afraid to hit it now? No Way! With the digital revolution you are only limited by the amount of batteries and the memory cards you have.

Thanks for the opportunity to help you with this - any chance you can send me a copy of your report when you are finished with it ? I would be intrigued to see it.

Joe B

Rant Mode : ON

2007-10-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Many of you who know me, know that my atitude about my website is pretty laissez-faire. I am not shooting on spec, I have a guaranteed sale on all the assignments I shoot.

So maybe I shouldn't be so pissed off at this, but this really got my dander up earlier today at the soccer games.

The were two games this morning, Girls at 10, and boys at 12. The early game was for the Middlesex League Championship, and it was Woburn -vs- Winchester (archrivals for years!). So as I am standing photographing the girls game, a photographer I have never seen before shows up, sporting a PRESS pass around his neck, and starts talking to me.

What are you shootin' at?? He asks, and I casually answer him with "200 ISO at whatever the camera says is OK".

He moves off and we shoot the rest of the first half.

So here is the incredulous part: I asked him who he represented, as he was sporting a press pass, and he told me this: "Oh I am a FULL TIME STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER for _______________ ( a large daily paper in an area of Massachusetts that is a 40 or so minute drive away) and I don't work on the weekends, so I just find out the top games in the area and I go shoot them, and then I pass out lots of business cards to the crowd. I do really well with the parents from _________________ and _______________ and _________________ etc.

Is it just me?? I just cannot beleive that this guy has the unmitigated gall to come to my house and try to sell photos to my customers. Ya ya I know, it is a free country etc...

So now I am competing against the parents, the big corporate website shooters, and some GWCAWS.

It is enough to make me just want to fold my tents and go back to refusing the reprint business.

No, not really! The website for me is a time saver and an income generator, though not a ton - I will never get rich on the web income, but it is enough to take the family out to dinner or buy some small camera gear.

I suppose I should be happy though... many of those on the sidelines threw away the small sheet of paper he passed out, and his website is so long, I doubt anyone will remember it (www.xxxxxxx.exposuremanager.com sheesh!)

So I hope you will tell all your friends about MY WEBSITE and I truly thank you for any and referrals!

Digital Images Over the Years

2007-09-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Labor Day - In my world, it is the last chance to prepare for the big show. If you know me, you know what I mean - Fall, aka Autumn, aka the Most wonderful time of the year! Why do I call it that - one word, well OK three words - HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS.

So I did what I do every year about this time - I made sure that my computer and workflow are up to speed for the season ahead. Like winterizing your car, I call it fallerizing my computer. First I make sure all the summer files are backed up on DVD and transferred to the archive hard drive. I then make sure that the Hard Drives in my system can handle the gigabytes (GB) that are about to be thrown their way. Yes I shoot sports and yes I shoot heavy and yes I shoot lots of games. Usually 2 a day, and up to 5 on a weekend. So, yes, I churn out the GB.

So today, realizing I was running out of drive space, I was swopping over files to the new 500GB drive, and I thought I would make a chart as to what I have shot for the newspapers, since 1999 when I acquired my first digital camera. (A Nikon Cool Pix 990!)

A side note here: my workflow involves a very basic filing system: Ingest the card to a "todays date" folder on a small drive, then separate each assignment into individual folders, then under each assignment a folder labelled by destination of photos (I work for several newspapers with different deadlines and mechanical requirements.) If the photo is going to be posted on my website, then the folder is copied to the web drive for posting.

OK, so here it is for your humour, is my chart of newspaper shooting for the past 8 years or so:

1999 15.7 mb 4 files 1 folder
2000 548.0 mb 633 files 50 folders
2001 11.1 GB 10098 files 239 folders
2002 20.7 GB 18519 files 410 folders
2003 44.2 GB 39823 files 1489 folders
2004 55.6 GB 49957 files 1738 folders
2005 100.0 GB 56430 files 1290 folders
2006 177.0 GB 80647 files 1747 folders
2007 86.5 GB 42907 files 809 folders

Wow, maybe Rick Friedman's assistant Marlene was right - we digital photographers DO have diarrhea of the shutter finger! LOL LOL LOL

As always, I'd love to hear your comments!

Chimping ??? At This Altitude ????

2007-08-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

My Nextel went crazy this afternoon, as the helicopter passed over, low enough to shake the windows in most homes.

What was this crazy copter doing? Well apparently taking photos - not just regular photos - DIGITAL PHOTOS.

How do I know that ??? Well, check out the photo - the photographer was strapped to the outside of the helo AND HE WAS CHIMPING !!!

Who'da thunk we'd get to this point!

Actually I think the bigger question is - What was he shooting - NIKON or CANON???

Time to Play - Guess the White Balance !!!!

2007-08-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

It had to be about 10:00am yesterday morning. The mayor's assistant called - "How soon can you be at the (Woburn) High School construction project?" I told him I had the morning free and would meet him and the mayor there.

Why were they calling me up here? I wasn't sure, but it became crystal clear the moment I arrived - LIGHTS. Indeed, the track has not yet been laid, the field turf has been ordered, but not installed, but there some 90 feet in the sky, the first light pole had been installed. The mayor thought it would be a nice photo feature. And you know what? He was right.

But then it happened again. For maybe the third or fourth time in my 20 year career. I got to meet the guys who install stadium lighting.

And it inevitably is a disaster - It goes some thing like this:

JB: "So, we got some nice new lights here huh?"

Lighting Guy "Yup - so bright you'll be able to see this place from Burlington"

JB: " Really? That bright? Are you sure??"

LG: - "Of course they are! I do the lighting for _________ (insert professional stadium name here)."

IT IS A FAIRY TALE FOLKS!!! Take it from me. I have shot at many fields. The best local field is Burlington, and we can squeek by at 800 iso for that - but the lights are uneven, so it is FLASHED football. The worst is, well, there is a tie for that - so again - flashed football - YUCK!

With any luck, the lights at the new Woburn High School will be OK. Now comes the fun part! Guess the WHITE BALANCE!

When the first light stanchion was hooked up and turned on here is what the lights looked like:

Seventeen individual light fixtures - half cool and half war.

Hmm,now multiply this by 4 stanchions, and it looks like I will need the one thing my friend Bud swears by:

A CUSTOM WB GREY CARD.

Hmmmm, guess I will have to order one.

What A Spoiled Bunch We Are....

2007-07-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

There I said it OK?

It seems to me that we, specifically we photographers, have become quite the spoiled bunch. Even worse, in some cases, are the people we deliver our photos to. In my case, my editors.

The switch to digital, though fantastic on many, many fronts, can SOMETIMES be a real PIA.

We all have our crosses to bear....

Julain Olansky - My Memoriam

2007-06-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

Truthfully, I cannot remember when it happened, I just remember bumping into Damian Drella and BAM!, MRS Car 52 was on board. It certainly wasn't long after that, that I met Julie.

I remember thinking about who this guy was, and after talking to people I found out who he was.

So, that began many days of on air banter between the units, remember the drawl??? (said in that raspy voice of his) "arrrrrrhhhhhhhh car 52 are you telling me that you have a working fire in Woburn????" or "Arrrrrhhhh 52 we cant read you, try moving to a different area and try it again...." Man, those were the days. Back when we had fires! LOL.

As MRS changed and evolved in those years, Julie introduced me to many of the other old MRS names - Gad, Ansin, Mullowney, Brigham, and Jay Bourgious (Newton Jake founder of MRS - what a character he was! lol) just to name a few. And dare I say we all hit off pretty well. We should have, we were all seeking that goal - to catch the big one, and in some cases, either put it out, or at least put it on film.

Every now and again, Julie would call (wow we didn't have email back then!) and ask for a photo or if I would do a story for the newsletter - MetroRadioWaves - remember that? I actually looked forward to getting my copy of that in the mail. I still have many of those here in a box in my garage. I may break them out one of these days.

I also attended some of the MRS Board Meetings held in the "bunker" in Brookline. What an intense place that was! Those were interesting meetings, and much was done to further MRS in those days.

Fast forward a few years, and Julie and I lost touch... not really, it's just that I had retired from MRS and was extremely busy trying to get my photography off the ground. I would always see him at all the required buff events - Lynnfield, the MRS Flea Market, the Holiday Dinner to name but a few. I would see him at fires and I remember one night at 174. Not a wheel turned, but the coffee and the stories flowed like water, and he had several of us enraptured with his fire buffing story's.

The last time I saw Julie, was about 18 months ago - Al Fay from Burlington called and told me that Julie was going to put on his film show for the Middlesex County Fire Wardens, and would I come by to take some photos for the newspaper.

I am so glad I went to the station that night, for what I saw was just amazing - Julie's films were sharp, and full of action, and when it came to Our Lady of Angels, I do not think there was a dry eye in the house. Honestly, you all know what a noisy place a firehouse can be - any firehouse in the world, but not that night - you could have heard a pin drop as Julie told about filming that, and the tragedy that it was.

Well, the rumours swirled that night about his health, and someone even went so far as to say that he might not be able to give another show - ever again. And I left there that night glad to have seen him, glad to have known him, an happy to be able to say I was at least his acquaintance, if not a friend.

Goodbye my friend and may God Bless you, and your family, keep them safe, and keep you at his right hand.

These photos are from the night in Burlington - Julie doing his presentation, and accepting a model rescue from retired Burlington firefighter Al Fay.

Memorial Day 2007

2007-05-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

The kids are in the pool, and the bbq will be fired up soon. Another Memorial Day and the start of the summer right? Not for me, nope, this year seemd different somehow. And I think I know how.

Having covered two different town's ceremonies and then having covered other ceremonies earlier in the weekend, I am tired. Not so much physically tired, but mentally.

This Memorial Day here in Woburn is different. I have covered these services for the past 19 years, but this year it is different. You see, we (the collective City of Woburn) had a native son killed in Iraq just a few short months ago. And when George Poole read the role of honour, and got to SFC Keith Callahan's name, it got me. Indeed it did. I put the camera down for a minute and just looked around. Looking at all the faces of the free and the innocent and the young and the old. I just looked around. I looked at my foster Grandfather - Woody Ford, who, now in his late 70's, came to Woburn Center to see and be part of a ceremony that means so much to him. It was so great to see him.

That's Woody right there offering a hand salute as the flag was going by.

But as great as it was to see him, it is hard not tho think about the family of Sgt Callahan, who lost a dad, a father, a son, and a friend, who was doing what he knew best - defending the freedom of the United States of America - yup - of you and me, and him and her and us an d them. All of us. Thank you Sgt Callahan, for giving your life, so that I may still enjoy mine.

I truly think my friend Bud said it most appropriately on his blog:

Seriously folks, you should take a brief moment away from your weekly trip to
Home Despot or Wally World, and reflect on what the day should be about -
remembering our fallen Soldiers.
And that is Soldiers with a capital "S".
I won't grandstand anymore than to say I honor our Veterans, and I hope
you do too.

I must agree with him, in every way possible.

So here are a few other photos from Woburn and Burlington's ceremonies. I hope you enjoy them, and I would, as always, enjoy hearing your thoughts and comments.

One of many of the flag bearers on the Woburn Common this morning.

This man was a POW in Korea for nearly two years.

The Burlington American Legion Rifle Squad fires a volley after Taps.

Woburn Police officer John Lally - ever the proud grandfather - showing off his new (3 weeks) grandson.

Bio Schwag...

2007-05-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

If you have ever been to a trade show, or convention that has a bunch of booths or vendors, then you know about the schwag - you know the gimmes that everyone gives out.

Pens, and pads of papers are commonplace, but there is always some really cool stuff that is passed out, and if you are lucky enough to be walking around when the booths are active, you can pick up a few cutesy items.

But there are some serious items too.

At the Bio 2007 Convention that I just attended in Boston, there were 22,000 plus attendees and every state in the country and every country in the world was represented. Think of what they all brought with them - tons (literally!) of items.

But of all the pens, candy, shirts and stuff I got, nothing, and I do mean nothing, compared with the items that our own FBI was giving out. Yup, the US FBI had a booth at the show, and it was manned, I think as a recruiting method more than anything.

So what could the FBI be giving out that piqued my interest?? Well check it out:

Yup, you see it! A POCKET GUIDE TO Weapons of Mass Destruction! Indeed a POCKET guide!

I WILL NEVER LEAVE HOME WITH OUT THIS!

WOW What a Week!

2007-05-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well it is hard to believe that a month has passed since I last posted, but after this week, I felt I should share.

Many of you know that I am the photographer for the Woburn Daily Times
chain of papers, but I also do a lot of freelance work, and one of my bigger
freelance gigs is for a Cambridge based company - the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.

So when they hired me to come into Boston for the three day Bio 2007 Convention I was pretty happy. I know I am weird, I actually enjoy these things! Heck getting paid to be there is a bonus!

So into South Boston I went each of the past three days (side note - I don't envy the people who drive in there daily - that was some of the worst traffic I have ever seen! UGH!) to go see what more than 22,000 conference attendees had to say, and show about the world of Bio Technology.

WOW, was I blown away!

I have gone to or photographed or even was a salesman at many trade shows,
but this had to be the mother of all trade shows. There were booths from every
corner of the world there, I heard so many languages spoken, millions of
business cards were exchanged, and I am sure many deals were brokered.

I spent most of my time in the Massachusetts Pavillion, (shown here in a view from the skybridge) which was the largest of all the state pavillions, occupying about 5% of the total show floor
area. It was my homebase for the three days and was a hot spot of activity. One of the bigger events of the show was Governor Deval Patrick making a big Stem Cell announcement:

This was big doings for Massachusetts and I am happy to have been there to photograph the historic event. A funny thing happened near the end of the governor's speech - an old Asian man climbed up onto the press photo platform, and pushed past me with his little point and shoot camera. After taking a photo or two, he turned to me and said in a thick accent: "Oh so good to see Barack Obama here in Boston." I couldn't help but laugh out loud!

There were a couple of chances for me to observe the rest of the show, and I think, that since I was not there to make a deal, or buy equipment, I looked at this show with a different eye.

Here are a couple of photos that I liked:

This photo is the membership desk area of Bio and it changed colors every 3 or 4 minutes - it was totally cool and could be easily seen from many areas of the show.

This photo shows the new Biogen Idec "Hyposurface" it is a surface that responds to TOUCH and to SOUND. In this photo, the man in the middle had blown into the microphone, and caused a wave effect on the surface. This was also totally cool!

The rest of the photos are really just talking heads and not as cool as those, but overall it was an awesome experience!

They Come in Threes

2007-04-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

it has always been said that fires come in threes, and if so, I am at two for just this week. This time, however, I did NOT screw up the exposures! LOL
The fire occured just doors away from where my intern lives. And let me tell you I kinda had an MI when I heard the address, I thought it was her house!

But upon my arrival, I found it was not and I was relieved.

Posted with this is one of the photos from the aftermath of the fire, Woburn Firefighter Ken Robishaw fixing his SCBA, before returning it to the rack. I don't think this is agreat photo, just a common sight on the firescene. I know I should have taken a knee, so we could see more of his face, but both he and I like it, so it is fine.

Slow D o w n . . . . . .

2007-04-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

Or maybe I should retitle this - "Don't Be a Joe Brown". Let me explain.

Early this afternoon, I was at the Woburn Boys and Girls Club shooting an event. I was there for about an hour, happily shooting away at 1250 ISO, manual settings, and 1/250th f 2.8. I shot about 100 frames, thanked the event organziers, and departed.
I put the camera in the car, and I went for coffee. After hanging at Dunks with a friend for a while (he is a D2X shooter and we always talk photography), I went home.
As I pulled in the driveway, the Town of Arlington Massachusetts strikes a second alarm for a structure fire on Thorndike St. So, since I had nothing to do, and I now have cool GPS unit which allows me to go anywhere, I figured I would spark this fire. Now I also know that if the fire goes to 3 alarms, Winchester goes from covering the station - directly to the fire.
So here is the "Dont Be A Joe Brown" part: I get to the fire, find a great parking spot, and there are 2 buildings on fire, HEAVY FIRE, HEAVY SMOKE, NOW A THIRD ALARM. Yes, I am in photographic heaven.
I get there, and there is fire leaping from the roof. And a jake on a ladder trying to control it. GREAT PHOTOS! Wanna see one? OK Here ya go:

Pretty easy to see the problem huh? Yup you guessed it - I never changed the settings on the camera. So this photo was taken at 1/250th at F2.8 at ISO 1250.
Now I know what you are all thinking right now (besides the "what an F'in idiot comments I can hear), why didn't I chimp the photos and realize immediately that I had screwed up? Well, I don't have an answer for that. Nothing, nada, zip. I took someting like 25 frames of the jakes putting out the fire, nice over all stuff, a couple of closeups of the guy on the stick and what do I have for my efforts? Nothing, nada, zip. Indeed, "Dont be a Joe Brown".
For the record, after realizing my erroneous ways, I changed all of the settings and came out with some nice photos, including this one of my old friend Arlington MA fire deputy chief Robert Jefferson:

So all was not completely lost, but remember my mantra for today

Chimping is GOOD !

2007-02-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my first Photo Blog!

I will be posting new topics on a "as often as I can" basis. This is due to the fact that I am extremely busy as a photographer, so time is always a premium.