Detroit Photographer Dwight Cendrowski. Musings.

    The times they are a changin' in  photography and publishing.  Digital technology continues to revolutionize both businesses. Here's some recent milestones.

∞Kodak announced in June that the iconic film Kodachrome will no longer be manufactured, ending its 74 year run. The film dominated the film world, especially in magazines like National Geographic.

∞ High end digital cameras like the Canon 1D Mark IV continue to incorporate video, providing stunning  HD video owing to the very large image sensor. Video capabilities will only  improve

∞USC's Annenberg Digital Future
Study highlights, July 2010:
     •Only 22% of newspaper readers say they will miss print editions.  Just 56% rated newspapers as important sources of information
     • Americans spend an average of 19 hours per week online.
     •0% of users say they would pay to use Twitter
     •Looking at unprecedented levels of online communications, authors ask, "Have we reached the point at which users are going into 'online overload?'"

    Want to be a better photographer?  Make mistakes.  The best and maybe only way to really learn any skill is to practice, make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, practice some more, make more mistakes, and on and on.  A fascinating book called How we Decide by Jonah Lehrer  explains how our decisions are made with a combination of feeling and reason.  The best in any field, from photographer to chess master, quarterback to radar operator, operate on an intuitive level based on emotions generated by something called dopamine neurons.  By endless practice and reviewing past errors, we all ingrain a native intelligence that bubbles up and points us in the right direction when we have to make quick decisions. 

    But it's not all a free ride on the emotions.  The keys are constant study and examination of our methods. So when we have an involved photo shoot, deciding all day how to light, where and how to position our subjects, how to position a reflector, when to joke and when to cajole....we're building up a bank of deep knowledge that allows us to make those decisions quickly and correctly the next time. 

    So never be afraid to experiment and make mistakes.  We have to goof-up to learn. 

I was featured in an article along with several other business people operating out of home offices in the July edition of the Ann Arbor Area Business Monthly magazine.  Take a look here:

http://www.annarborbusinessmagazine.com/

     It's tough these days to make money from stock image sales.  One of the best websites keeping abreast of stock issues is PhotoLicensingOptions.com.  The man behind the site is Jim Pickerell, who published one of the first and finest stock pricing guides called Negotiating Stock Photo Prices. If you're licensing any stock or thinking about it, this is a great site to check out.

     Having just traveled to Kansas City for an assignment, I'm reminded again how compact we have to be in our packing.  For anyone traveling with camera equipment, there are many rolling and backpack-type cases out there. I'm partial to Porter Cases, which I've used for years now.  The case folds down and lets you use it as a dolly, which is a Godsend for carrying other heavy cases. And they have a new PCI case coming out soon which will be even more durable than previous cases.

     I have no financial interest in the company.  Just a satisfied customer.

      April 15.  OK, taxes.  I must say that the cacophony of shrill voices bashing the paying of taxes makes me angry.  I feel that paying taxes is the height of responsibility and a sign of true patriotism.  Only in the land of make-believe do grownups expect the full range of services supplied by our federal, state and local governments while holding back payment for those services.

      I'm dismayed by how many of those tax dollars are spent, especially for endless war.  But I know that I'm privileged to be able to live in this country, a destination whose shores so many around the world risk everything to reach.  Simplify the tax process. Yes.  Make it equitable so those who pay their full share don't feel like chumps.  Absolutely yes. Eliminate wasteful spending.  Of course.  But pay your share and stop the whining.  I've been to many other countries, and I'd rather pay, pay, pay to live here than suffer in most of those other countries.

      Happy April 15.

Marketing author Seth Godin has written a post for all those trying to say something and exhausted by the "quick-click, move on to the next thing" culture.

http://ow.ly/1mNud

    When you spend a lot of time like I do taking environmental portraits for trade magazines or shooting machinery and workers in an industrial plant, you tend to art direct every shoot, determining lighting and directing every aspect of the shoot.  You make pictures, not take them.  So it's good to occasionally challenge yourself and take on quick moving challenges to keep the eye and reflexes sharp. 

    I photographed a gymnastics meet this past weekend, the Wolverine Classic in Saline, Michigan.  My daughter spent a lot of years perfecting her leaps at the meet's sponsor gym, and I like to help out the owners with photography a few times a year.  And just like my father used to tell me that success playing sports was all about anticipation, so too in photographing them. It's a challenge to figure out where the gymnast will be at what time, and to be at that spot a split second ahead of her.

    And the secret is not to burn up your motor drive by photographing every second of a beam or floor routine.  We already have a technology for that.  It's called video.  Instead, use short bursts at just the right time.  I'm not a fan of wasting 100 frames to get one usable.  Better to know where the right moment will be. The skill being lost in the rise of modern digital cameras is the aptitude to look, concentrate and select the moment.  The studious ability to analyze beforehand and expose that one sheet of 4x5 film.  I fear we're becoming too lazy while holding down the shutter button.

     It's also fun and fullfilling to keep the photojournalist's mindset and observe all of life that's going on, not just on the competition floor.  Keep an eye behind scenes.  To paraphrase John Lennon, life is what happens while you're focused on the action.

 

     Add my voice to the growing litany against Facebook.  I cannot access my account.  They do not answer emails.  There is no way to resolve the issue.  Completely unresponsive. 

     I was going to step up some business promotion through this site, but their frustrating lack of customer service now makes that unlikely.

     Pen and paper anyone?

    The Michigan chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is teaming up with the Professional Photographers of Michigan (PPM) to present the Michigan Photographic Expo from February 19-23 at the Troy, Marriott Hotel. Presentations and seminars will include programs by Gail Mooney on the rise of video, Doug Schaible on basic food photography, setting up a home studio with Larry Lourcey, and many others.

     For more information visit the PPM website: http://www.ppmevents.com/

     Lots of good information for all levels of photographers.  Check it out.