Blog and White World

September 09 street shots

2009-09-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

Click on the photos to see them bigger.

Note: All photos shot with a Panasonic GH1.

Random NYC Street Shots with Olympus E-P1!

2009-08-12T04:08:00.001-07:00

A few observations: Lag time prevented me from getting up close enough to subjects, and awkward focusing resulted in too many blurred shots. I managed to get some decent shots but all at a range of around 10-15 feet, which is too far away. Read my Street Photography Stress Test of the E-P1 at the Adorama Learning Center.

Random NYC Street Shots, Summer 09 edition

2009-07-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've updated. Let's get caught up, shall we?

Farewell, Kodachrome

2009-06-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

A moment of silence, please, for Kodachrome film.

Kodak today retired the slide film, and Dwayne's announced it will process the film through December 2010.

I was one of those who loved "those nice bright colors" and the "greens of summer" that gave Kodachrome its unique color palate, and its archival quality.

It's a sad day for photographers around the world.

Telex Iran, revolutions, photography, and technology

2009-06-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

With the tide of the street protests in Iran possibly turning against the entire Islamic theocratic system that overthrew the Shah's dictatorship 30 years ago, I thought the time was right to look back at Telex: Iran by Gilles Peres. Published in 1997, the book is a visual, personal retelling of the revolution that brought the Ayatollah's to power.

Mixed in with Telex communications with his editors, the book has immediacy that we did not really have before the age of the Internet.

What strikes me comparing Telex:Iran to the current situation is that again, those leading and participating in the protests are using cutting-edge technology, and the result is graphic and immediate. The almost-instant dissemination of photos and videos (despite government clampdowns on newsgathering at the events) is nothing less than stunning. While old-fashioned ways are also being used, we're seeing YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and other forums being used to organize rallies--and to rally world opinion.

It also strikes me that the brevity and immediacy of Peres's messages to the west are so similar in their urgency to the Tweets I've been seeing on Twitter's #iranelections feed, while the grittiness and off-kilter nature of the photos are in some ways similar to cell-phone stills and videos that are being shot and uploaded by Iranian protesters.

I just wonder...did the guys who founded YouTube and Flickr ever think they'd be caught up in a revolution?

Hell has frozen over...maybe

2009-06-16T05:39:00.000-07:00

We street shooters have been waiting a loooong time for a small interchangeable-lens camera built around a DSLR-quality sensor that wouldn't cost $5,000 (such as, say, the Leica M8). Well, today, Olympus announced the E-P1, AKA the Digital Pen, which offers full DSLR features (including HD video and CD-quality audio) and access to Olympus's Four Thirds lenses and flash system.

The first Micro Four Thirds camera, it can be bought with a 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens (factoring in sensor size, covers the same angle of view as a 34mm lens on a 35mm camera). It comes with a matching optical finder so you don't have to hold the camera at arm's length to see the image on the 3-inch LCD (which is your only other viewing choice--no EVF). Hopefully a 28mm equivalent lens is in the works.

There should be a hands-on report coming later today. In the meantime, here's the basic info and the full specs.

And so the revolution began...

2009-06-15T14:32:00.001-07:00

I shot this 30 years ago in New York City. I've been thinking about this shot lately, with the situation currently going on in Iran...

Random NYC Street Shot #42

2009-06-09T04:41:00.001-07:00

Random NYC Street Shot #41

2009-06-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Random NYC Street Shot #40

2009-05-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

Random NYC Street Shot #39

2009-05-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

Random NYC Street Shot #38

2009-04-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Random NYC Street Shot #37

2009-04-28T18:10:00.001-07:00

Random NYC Street Shot #37

2009-04-27T06:11:00.001-07:00

Random NYC Street Shot #36

2009-04-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Random NYC Street Shot #35

2009-04-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

Shot with a Leica M8

Random NYC Street Shot #34

2009-04-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

Tech data: Leica M8, 28mm f/2 Sumicron lens.

Exposure: Using Bryan Peterson's tip, I shot at ISO 320 in RAW and but exposed as if I was shooting at ISO 800, then added 1.5 stops in my RAW image editor. Moderate grain, but better than if I'd shot at a higher ISO setting.

More M8 shots coming soon! Too bad I have to give it back in a week...

Random NYC Street Shot #33

2009-04-24T04:11:00.000-07:00

Shot with a Leica M8!

Random NYC Street Shot #32

2009-04-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

Shot with a Leica M8!

Random NYC Street Shot #31

2009-04-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

Shot with a Leica M8!

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #11

2009-04-13T15:39:00.001-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #12

2009-04-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #10

2009-04-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Why I avoid photographing street people

2009-04-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

In my street photography class, I encourage my students by saying that all things are photographable in any way. And this is true. I encourage my students, as well as myself, to go out into the world with camera in hand and no preconceptions that could interfere with openness to taking pictures.

But I have one exception to that anti-rule, and that's street people. I feel that photographing them in their poverty is taking advantage of their difficult situation, and that they are not necessarily there voluntarily. Since for many people sleeping on the street it is their "home," I feel it can be argued that photographing them is an invasion of the little privacy that they have. So, I do not go out of my way to photograph them. In addition to the moral issues surrounding photographing street people, they're too easy to photograph. Where else are they going to go?

I just received email from a fellow street photographer showing his close-ups of a street person with a sign around his neck saying "tired and hungry." They were technically good photos, but add nothing to the millions of photos of street people that have already been taken. The photos didn't put money in the guy's hand so he could buy a sandwich. And I don't think looking at the photo would motivate someone to go out and find a street person and help him or her out. Supporting a local soup kitchen would be more socially responsible.

When I see a street person, I put down the camera and smile at them. If I have some change in my pocket, I'll give it to them and wish them luck. There's something wrong with photographing someone who can't afford their next meal and who lives on the street with a camera that costs more than what they might collect in a year on the street.

I'd rather photograph tourists looking stressed out, road warriors yakking on their cell phones, and office workers grabbing a smoke because it's been banned in their offices--or, really, anything else--than street people looking hungry and begging for money.

Sorry for the rant. Just had to get that off my chest.

My kids will love this

2009-04-07T05:50:00.001-07:00

Big news of the day: 16-year-old starlet Miley Cyrus (for the uninitiated, she's the one whose dad had that big "hit", Achy Breaky Heart, who has a big Disney TV show, and who has recorded a string of pop hits; still doesn't ring a bell? Ask any 11-year-old) really digs the Leica M8 digital rangefinder camera. See photo below, of Miley doing her best Winogrand impersonation.

Does this mean a new generation of well-heeled teeny boppers will grow up to be Leica fans? Hey Leica, there's a marketing opportunity here!

Miley's also the first cover girl for the new online version of Life (Life.com).

Photo: Jeff Vespa/Time & Life Pictures

Register now! New street photo class starts April 3!

2009-03-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Want to try your hand at street photography? Learn how to take candid photos of strangers in public places, overcome shyness, improve your photographic reflexes and step out of your comfort zone by taking my online course, "Street Photography: Finding Order in Chaos" at the Perfect Picture School of Photography.

See you in school!

-Mason Resnick

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #9

2009-03-23T11:20:00.001-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #8

2009-03-23T11:18:00.002-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #7

2009-03-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #6

2009-03-22T15:00:00.001-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #5

2009-03-22T14:59:00.001-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #4

2009-03-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #3

2009-03-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #2

2009-03-19T17:41:00.001-07:00

You Must Have Fun: Las Vegas Street Photo #1

2009-03-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it pays to be a pack rat

2008-11-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

© 2008 by Mason Resnick

How often does the NY Times run a headline as big as today's? Well, I happen to have one of the previous instances.

Anyone know what the other two were?

Snow! In October! In New Jersey!

2008-10-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

© 2008 by Mason Resnick
I shot these 20 minutes ago, right outside my front door, with a Canon 40D and 18-85mm lens. An unusually early snowstorm here in central New Jersey.

Random NYC street shot #30

2008-10-26T05:10:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot #29

2008-10-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

James Nachtwey raises awareness about TB through his photographs

2008-10-12T06:33:00.001-07:00

Photojournalist James Natchwey is on a mission to spread the word about the threat of potential worldwide Tuberculosis pandemic. XDR-TB is a resistant mutant strain that is affecting millions throughout the world and threatens many more people, but it is preventable. This video consists of 37 black-and-white photos by Nachtwey and a call to action.

I've spoken before about the power of photography, but in this case, what could be more powerful than raising awareness that could lead to saving lives?

Random NYC street shot #27

2008-09-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot #26

2008-09-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot #25

2008-09-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

9/11: What was there

2008-09-11T03:23:00.000-07:00

© 1983, 2008 by Mason Resnick
World Trade Center Observation Deck, 1983
© 1983, 2008 by Mason Resnick
World Trade Center lobby, 1983

A distant but vivid memory.

In honor of Jonathan Ielpi, FDNY Squad 288, the son of my former next-door neighbor on Long Island, who died a hero on this date in 2001 while saving lives in the World Trade Center.

More U.S. Open photos

2008-09-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

U.S. Open 2008 #3

2008-09-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

U.S. Open 2008 #2

2008-09-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

U.S. Open 2008 #1

2008-09-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot #24

2008-08-30T19:26:00.001-07:00

Whatizit?

2008-08-25T10:28:00.001-07:00

Remember Izzy the Whatizit? He (or it) was the ill-fated mascot of the summer Olympics games in Atlanta in 1996. The name (or actually, the question, whatizzit?) came to mind when I found the above photo on a German web site, photoscala.de. They found the images on a Chinese language site, DPnet.com.cn. Note the Micro Four Thirds and Panasonic logos on the camera. It apparently has interchangeable lenses, and maybe that means also an interchangeable optical viewfinder. Could this be the first of the Micro Four Thirds cameras--and might it be that non-Leica digital rangefinder I've been asking the Great Pumpkin for?

Here's my free-form interpretation of the Google-translation of the German:

"Anticipation has been running high since Olympus and Panasonic announced the Micro Four Thirds System. What, exactly, will the cameras look like? Does this system have a future? (Garbled translation...then...)

"This photo has added to the conjecture. We don't know if there will be an optical viewfinder, but in this photo it appears that there will simply be a rear LCD monitor. If this camera has an optical or very good electronic viewfinder, we want it. But we don't know if these pictures are leaked product shots, or simply photos of concept cameras. We'll know more when Photokina starts."

So...whatizit?

Previously unpublished photo of Garry Winogrand at work

2008-08-24T15:22:00.001-07:00

© 1976, 2008 by Mason Resnick

I recently came across this old photo of Garry Winogrand. I took this shot during a 2-week Master Workshop with Garry at the Germain School of Photography in August, 1976. Our classroom was the streets of lower Manhattan, and I took this shot of Garry on Broadway. While it many not be the most interesting photo visually speaking, it's reminded me of one aspect of Garry's working methods.

First, notice that he has no camera strap. He's simply holding the camera in his hand.

Second, look at his camera bag, which is covered with strips of white tape (see detail). These were labels, and every time he finished a roll he'd jot down basic info about the lighting conditions and ISO, then put the strip on the roll of film before dropping it into his bag. Later, he would refer to this information and adjust film processing to best fit the shooting conditions. You could call it pre-digital EXIF data.

Inside the camera bag was dozens of rolls of film, and a spare Leica M camera.

Remembering Henri Cartier Bresson on his 100th Birthday

2008-08-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

Today would have been Henri Cartier-Bresson's 100th birthday. I consider him, along with Garry Winogrand, Robert Frank, and Elliott Erwitt to be one of the most influential photographers in my life.

I was lucky enough to meet HCB, at the New York Museum of Modern Art, at the press opening for his show, The Early Years. He was standing in one of the galleries, wearing a windbreaker with his camera descretely mostly hidden. My friend and co-worker Peter Moore recognized him and pointed him out to me. We walked over and introduced ourselves. I thanked him for his beautiful work. He smiled politely bowed his head as we shook hands.

Then he quickly walked off into the next gallery. That was the entire meeting, but for me it was, to coin a phrase, a decisive moment!

One day at Modern Photography in 1983...

2008-08-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Photo ©1983 by Robert Alexander

When Herbert Keppler passed away in January, I looked around but couldn't find this shot. It just surfaced and is still worth posting because of the story behind it. We staged this meeting at Modern Photography magazine as part as an effort to publicize the fact that we were making extraordinary efforts to clean up the mail order camera advertisers, many of whom in the early 80s were ripping off their customers with increased boldness. In the first year, we rejected over a million bucks worth of ads because the store owners wouldn't do simple things like deliver what people ordered at the advertised price. This was my first job, and I was hired by Burt Keppler (standing, in the center) to run a team of secret shoppers to help weed out the bad ads. The whole thing was Burt's idea, which is why I wanted to find this photo.

So here was the team, discussing how we would protect our readers from our unscrupulous advertisers, from left to right: yours truly (pretending to look corporate), Bob Kinney, Larry Wienstein, Burt Keppler, Rachel Segall, and Howard Shaw.

As I recall, some of us were having a bit of trouble keeping a straight face during this shoot, possibly because Howard was telling a dirty joke.

Random NYC street shot #23

2008-08-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

Staten Island Ferry #2

2008-08-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

Staten Island Ferry #1

2008-08-18T14:22:00.001-07:00

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ #3

2008-08-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

The time is right for a digital rangefinder that's not a Leica

2008-08-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

My first rangefinder camera was not a Leica. It was a Rollei 35--a tiny 35mm camera with a 40mm lens that you had to zone-focus (in other words, guess) and guestimate exposure, since the meter was less accurate than my guesses. It was quiet and unobtrusive. Years later, I would add the Olympus XA4, the palm-sized, clamshel design camera with (bless 'em) a focusing tab, to my collection, and took some amazing shots with it. Once I could afford one, I bought a Leica M3 from Ken Hansen in New York, but those two little cameras carried me through until then.

The joy of these cameras is that they were in the $100-150 range, while even a used Leica with a lens would set me back around $600 (oh how times have changed!).

Now, in the digital age, there is the Leica M8, for $5,000, plus around $3,000 for a new lens. For street photographers and others who like to work with a small, inconspicuous lens and demand high performance (read: no lag time) and high quality (read: no golf-ball-sized digital grain at ISO 400), there is nothing available for less than that.

Sure, there are compromise cameras such as the Canon G9, Ricoh GRII, or the Sigma DP-1--they're small and offer some great features, but quality starts to suffer by ISO 400 (with the excepton of the Sigma), and there is lag time (notably in the Sigma). Or, you can go with a small-ish DSLR like the Olympus E-410, but it's still bigger than a compact and more noticeable--and you can't see what's going on when the mirror slaps up.

But there is no digital equivalent to the Olympus XA series or Rollei 35. There really should be for the sake of those starting out in street photography, and I am optimistic that there will be one soon. My optimism stems from this week's announcement of the Micro Four Thirds system, developed by Olympus (!) and Panasonic. The sensor will be the same size as an Olympus or Panasonic DSLR, but because the camera won't have a mirror prism, it can be designed "radically smaller and lighter" (to quote the press release). Could they mean Olympus XA-small? I hope so!

But if someone's going to produce a (presumably affordable) digital rangefinder, they should do it right:
• No lag time. Use a mechanical shutter.
• A focus tab that would override autofocus when you wanted to. The XA focus tab design is a fine precedent to follow.
• Aperture and shutter speed dials.
• An optical rangefinder. No EVFs!

Can they do it? Given the timing of the announcement, we may see the first generation of affordable digital rangefinders by the end of September, at Photokina. The technology is there. Here's hopin'.

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ #2

2008-08-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

2008-08-05T04:37:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot #22

2008-07-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

Street photo class: Registration open now for September session!

2008-07-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

© 2008 by Mason Resnick

My street photo class has been a great success--I am thrilled to see so many students evolve into street photographers who have developed a passion for this thing that I can't help doing.

I am pleased to announce that my next street photography class will begin on September 12 and registration is open now!

Go to The World at Street Level to see some of my students' work, and to the Perfect Picture School of Photography to register. I'll personally critique your work and help guide you as you learn to overcome shyness about photographing strangers and master the challenge of finding order in chaos on the streets.

I hope you'll join me!

Random NYC street shot #21

2008-07-25T04:44:00.000-07:00

More Atlantic City shots!

2008-07-23T10:22:00.001-07:00

Random NYC street shot #20

2008-07-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

Exclusive! First photos taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

2008-07-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today Panasonic officially introduced its first meaningful entry into what I hereby dub the "Leica M wannabees" category, joining the Ricoh GR Digital and Sigma SD-1. Their common theme? They all have optical viewfinders that attach via the flash shoe, and all feel like cameras that were designed by designers who allowed familiarity to photography to win over out-of-control engineering.

But do any of these cameras do digitally what I can do with my trusty Leica M3? Well...not really. But they're fun to play with and certainly cost a lot less than an M8.

So, on to the LX3. Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to take the camera for an informal spin on a boat ride around Manhattan, courtesy of the kind folks at Panasonic. You can read the news item, with all the specs and stuff, here. And now--a Blog and White World exclusive...here's what happens when a bunch of sun-baked photography writers, editors, PR people and Japanese bigwigs on the top deck of a cruise boat are photographed by a street photographer who's been shooting since 1976...

©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick

A very short review

While the camera says it has a manual focus setting, you have to go into menus to find it and use on-screen controls, which means you have to take your eye away from what's going on in front of you. I focused on 3 meters and let hyperfocal distance do the rest. Shutter lag is pronounced in AF, much less so in manual focus. However, there was a brief pause, and I missed some moments. Image quality was excellent, even at ISO 400 when most compacts start showing unacceptable noise. That's due to the larger-than-usaual 10MP sensor, which allows for the individual pixels to be made larger and capture more light.

So while it's no Leica, for around a 10th of the price of an M8 the Panasonic LX3 has a lot to offer and will likely give its two other closest competitors a good run for their money.

Random NYC street shot #19

2008-07-20T12:07:00.001-07:00

© 2008 by Mason Resnick

Here's the final shot from my street test of the Ricoh Caplio GX100. The shutter, I must admit, reacted very fast, enabling me to get moments like this. One of the interesting features I tried out was the VF1 electronic vewifinder. It's interesting because it swivels from eye level to 90 degrees. I shot this with it set at about 45 degrees (hence the slightly lower POV) and it took quite a bit of getting used to. However, if you set the monitor live image view to just show the image without any information, you can see things pretty clearly.

Overall, I'd say this camera is a nice little camera, but because it requires relative manual settings (via button presses) rather than absolute settings (such as the focusing tab on a Leica M lens) and it has a high signal-noise ratio at higher ISOs, it falls short of the ideal digital street camera that I'm constantly looking for.

Random NYC street shot #18

2008-07-17T04:21:00.001-07:00

©2008 by Mason Resnick

Ricoh GX100 street test photo #3. After shooting a few dozen shots in auto-everything mode, I started using the camera's manual controls. Manual focus allowed me to shoot faster than AF, although the MF controls were not exact. Using the up/down buttons on the circular array of control buttons on the back of the camera allows you to focus in approximate increments. One press brings you from infinity down to 3 meters, then to 1 meter, then focuses in smaller increments down to 1cm. The longer you press, the more the focus changes, but it's not an exact science, and this was frustrating when shooting on the streets.

I ended up locking focus midway between 3 meters and 1 meter and let my rough estimate of the hyperfocal distance do the heavy lifting.

Random NYC street shot #17

2008-07-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

©2008 by Mason Resnick

Second of my Rcoh GX100 street test: I used Photoshop's adjust lighting > shadow contrast tool to lighten the shadow areas here, but despite the tricky lighting I think the Ricoh GX100's meter did a reasonable job. This is the last of my attempts to use the AF, which simply didn't react fast enough. The shutter does not lock up while focusing, which means shorter lag time but also means autofocusing is risky as it may not be done by the time your press the button all the way. Manual focus is better but takes some getting used to.

I also noticed that it takes a fairly light touch to trigger the shutter release--but there were times when I though I'd captured the shot but the shutter release never triggered. By the end of the day I was back to pressing the shutter release firmly.

I shot this at ISO 100, and while highlights look fine you can see a bit of grain in the shadow areas at full size.

"10 Things I Hate About Film"

2008-07-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Is this guy serious?
Well...no, he isn't.

To quote...
"Film is a four-letter-word. It’s a hideous part of our photographic past, and we’ll be better off once it’s been eliminated from society. I’m ashamed to admit that I tried film once, but I quickly learned just how disgusting it really is and I’ve been clean ever since that occasion. Just take my word for it — FILM IS BAD (mmmkay). Here are ten things I hate about film..."

Read the rest of this brilliant blog post by Brian Auer!

Random NYC street shot #16

2008-07-15T09:30:00.001-07:00

I've been shooting lately with the Ricoh GX100 digital compact camera. (It has just been replaced by the GX200, which is only available in the US via Adorama.)

Over the next few days I'll be posting shots made with this model, and my thoughts.
© 2008 by Mason Resnick

I shot this at ISO 100--which is ideal for best overall image quality and fewest digital noise artifiacts but not ideal for street photography. The woman on the far left is slightly blurred in the original file. Hyperfocal distance saved this from being a blurry mess, since focus was on the person in the center of the frame, and not on the people right in front of me.

OTOH, the camera reacted fast, with nearly no lag time. Images were captured in 4:3 aspect ratio which I cropped down to 2:3. I had the 2:3 aspect ratio mask on when shooting so I was thinking in the narrower format.

Atlantic City Boardwalk Photos

2008-07-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been busy.

Here are some new shots...

©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick
©2008 by Mason Resnick

More to come!

Random NYC street shot #15

2008-07-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot #14

2008-07-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Street photography in UK unofficially restricted by cops

2008-07-03T05:14:00.000-07:00

In a disturbing decision in the UK, local police can now stop street photographers from taking pictures for, basically, any reason.

While there is no legal justification for such action according to British law, the police may choose to stop someone from taking pictures as an "operational decision." A spokesman for the British Home Office told Freelance: UK that "it is for the chief constable to to ensure that officers and police community support officers are acting appropriately with regards to photography in public places,” and goes on to say that “decisions may be made locally to restrict photography, for example to protect children."

So, the bad news for my friends in the UK who have produced some of the most entertaining, thought-provoking and moving street photos in the world is that they may continue to do so at the risk of having their equipment confiscated and being arrested, and their right to free expression has been unofficially revoked.

The only good news is that more than a third of all Members of Parliament now back a petition on the right to take pictures in public places unchallenged by officials. The motion has recieved cross-party support. Let's hope that support continues to grow.

So good luck guys and, to quote a line from one of my all-time favorite police drama TV shows, Hill Street Blues, hey...be careful out there.

Why I Use A Mac...by Bill Gates

2008-07-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

In 2003, Bill Gates, who just retired from Microsoft, sent a scathing internal e-mail ranting about the user-unfriendliness of loading Moviemaker software (made by Microsoft) onto his Windows-based (made by Microsoft) PC. A Seattle-based radio pseronality named Dave Ross performed a dramatic reading of this e-mail in honor of Bill's retirement.

Imagine, Ross ponders, what American productivity would be like if Bill Gates had insisted on user friendliness in his own company's ubiquitus operating system. "We'd be going home at 2 PM instead of 6:30," he quips.

Sorry Dave, but the easier-to-use OS has been there all along. Maybe you've heard of it, it's called Apple Macintosh. I use it for everything, from writing Word docs to creating web sites in Dreamweaver to intensive image editing in Adobe Photoshop. I don't hear any emails from Steve Job complaining about his OS...

Hear the dramatic reading here:

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/142032.asp

Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

2008-07-02T03:03:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson's 100th birthday is coming up in 6 weeks, but I just discovered an early birthday present: Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, a web site that supports HCB's legacy. This includes announcing winners of the annual HCB award, exhibits of fellow-traveller photographers and artists, symposiums at the Paris-based organization, as well as newsletters and the ability to purchase HCB prints.

Anyone interested in black-and-white photography should visit this site and learn more about one of the giants of 20th century photography.

Random NYC street shot #13

2008-07-01T14:48:00.001-07:00

Random NYC street shot #12

2008-07-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot #11

2008-06-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-23T14:29:00.001-07:00

Justice by non-sequitor

2008-06-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

Last year, Miami-based photographer Carlos Miller was arrested while photographing police, charged with disobeying a police order, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. A jury found Miller not guilty of the first two charges, but did convict him of "resisting arrest without violence," which sounds to me like a slap on the wrist. The prosecutor asked for 3 months probation.

Apparently the judge read the jury's verdict differently, and threw the book at Miller, sentencing him to a year of probation, 100 hours of community service, an anger management class (which the judge should probably be taking) and $540.50 in court costs. Then the judge went on to reveal his true bias, apparently telling Miller he should visit Arlington National Cemetary, where the "real hearoes" who fought for our freedom are buried. Now that's what I call justice by non-sequitor!

I really hope Carlos Miller will appeal the sentencing decision and get it overturned by a non-biased judge. If this judement is allowed to stand, it sets a legal precedent that could potentially be used against photojournalists and street photographers nationwide.

As one of the commenters in Carlos's blog--an ex cop--writes:
"I hope you prevail. I, for one, am tired of hearing the endless lament of “how difficult their job is.” As an ex-cop, I know all too well how many of them relish their “difficult” job. Thank God camera phones and amateur video are more pervasive nowadays. These are the best tools a free society has to insure our public servants endeavor to “protect and serve” rather than kicking the sh*! out of anyone they please."

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-20T12:18:00.001-07:00

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-19T10:49:00.001-07:00

Justice is served

2008-06-17T04:22:00.000-07:00

A street photographer is someone who photographs people in public places, looking for human interest, irony and humor becauase an inner muse compels them to. A paparazzo is someone who photographs celebrities and other public personalities in ways that will embarrass them and tries to sell those pictures for a lot of money.

I love street photography and support street photographers worldwide. Can't say the same for paparazzi. Now it turns out a paparazzo who got his foot run over by Britney Spears and sued her for damages has lost his case. The D.A. wrote "the only way the victim's foot could have been [run over] was by the victim placing it in that location." Of course he was standing there to get a salable shot.

Read the details.

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-14T19:57:00.001-07:00

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

War against photographers: Win one, lose one

2008-06-13T03:37:00.001-07:00

Two news items came over the transom (ok, RSS feed) today:

The win: Photopermit.org reports that photographers have the right to photograph police activity, as long as they don't interfere with it. Thanks for the clarification--and let's hope the police read it.

The loss: New York Police Dept. harassed photographer Simon Lund at Coney Island, who was intimidated by an uninformed cop to the point where he felt sufficiently threatened to hand over his film. Read the story in the Village Voice.

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

Random NYC street shot

2008-06-12T11:05:00.001-07:00

Another street shot from the archives

2008-06-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

From my street photo archives

2008-06-06T03:37:00.001-07:00

40 Years Ago today...

2008-06-06T03:17:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this at 6:00 am--approximately the time I woke my parents 40 years ago to tell them I'd just heard on the radio that RFK had been assasinated. My mom yelled at me, saying how dare I make up such a terrible story. Then I told her, "Mom, I'm sorry. Turn on your radio." I was 11 years old at the time the second Kennedy brother was killed and Bill Eppridge took this tragic, historic photo.

See my previous post about my interview with Bill Eppridge and his new book.

War on Photographers: Should we take the offensive?

2008-06-06T02:54:00.000-07:00

Bruce Schneider, posted an article on his blog yesterday that is getting a lot of attention. Not only does he defend every photographer's right to photograph almost everywhere, but he makes a compelling case for politely but firmly defending ourselves when a real cop or rent-a-cop tells us to stop shooting.

Bruce says:

"Since 9/11, there has been an increasing war on photography. Photographers have been harrassed, questioned, detained, arrested or worse, and declared to be unwelcome. We've been repeatedly told to watch out for photographers, especially suspicious ones. Clearly any terrorist is going to first photograph his target, so vigilance is required.

"Except that it's nonsense. The 9/11 terrorists didn't photograph anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid subway bombers, or the liquid bombers arrested in 2006. Timothy McVeigh didn't photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The Unabomber didn't photograph anything; neither did shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Photographs aren't being found amongst the papers of Palestinian suicide bombers. The IRA wasn't known for its photography. Even those manufactured terrorist plots that the US government likes to talk about -- the Ft. Dix terrorists, the JFK airport bombers, the Miami 7, the Lackawanna 6 -- no photography."

Read the rest of this well-argued opinion piece.

War on photographers, continued: Oh, the irony

2008-06-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

Washington TV reporter Tom Fitzgerald, curious about why so many photographers are being harassed at DC's Union Station by security guards, is in the middle of an interview with Amtrak's chief spokesperson in which said spokesperson declares there is no anti-photography rule at Union Station, when a security guard comes up and tells Fitzgerald to turn the camera off! When Fitzgerald refuses and then askes the guard if he could explain the policy, the guard clams up. Busted!

Watch the video,courtesy Fox5, Washington DC.

Natalie Merchant / Carnival (video)

2008-06-04T14:42:00.001-07:00

Check out the camera Natalie Merchant is using in this music video for one of her greatest songs!

More random street photography

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

What's coming from Leica? Straight from the horse's mouth!

2008-06-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Large-aperture M lenses, "something significant for the M System," perhaps a DSLR, and an expanded line of compacts...that's all part of ambitious set of goals outlined by Leica CEO Andreas Kaufmann in an exclusive interview published last month on PopPhoto.com. Doesn't look like there will be a full-frame M any time soon...but there are lots of hints about what might be coming later this year at Photokina.

Read the interview.