C.S. Muncy is a freelance photojournalist based out of New York City with a client list that includes The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, The New York Daily News and The Village Voice. As a freelancer, he’s covered such subjects as the BP Oil Spill, the fight for same-sex civil rights, the takeover of the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin and Occupy Wall Street. A graduate of the Defense Information School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2002 and is currently a photographer with the New York Air National Guard.

The simulator was roughly the same size and shape as a small commuter jet, with two rows of seats in the cabin and a full set of controls for the throttle, batteries and lights inside the cockpit. Despite the generous seats, though, the environment is hardly first class. The bare-metal walls were covered in soot, and the hard steel seats lined the windowless interior. As part of a traveling training system provided by Kellogg Community College, the “Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF)” mobile trainer is designed to burn, letting military and civilian firefighters practice in a controlled environment for a variety of scenarios, including fuel spills, engine fires, interior cabin fires and passenger rescue.

It’s a bit unnerving when activated. Tanks of propane spring to life, and can easily burn exposed skin if you get too close. Then there are the screams. Running on a loop, there’s a recording of passengers screaming and crying while the fire’s active and until you remove the rescue dummies from the cabin. The dummies themselves are a little unnerving; the same size and weight as grown adults, along with an infant sized dummy. Firefighters training in the simulator have to pull all the victims free before their session ends.

In preparation, I had been loaned an Air Force firefighter suit, looking to all the world like a walking baked potato. This included a pair of knee-high rubber boots, heavy, foil-covered pants and jacket, a protective cloth balaclava, helmet, air-tank and mask and gloves. While shooting inside the aircraft, you had to more or less paw and scratch at your camera if you needed to change any settings, as the gloves were far too thick for any kind of detailed adjustments. Likewise, while shooting with the mask on you had to occasionally guesstimate your shot, as the plastic faceplate prevents you from accurately seeing through the viewfinder. Not that it really mattered inside; the smoke was so thick that it was all but impossible to see more than a few inches in front of you.

Shooting outside wasn’t necessarily any easier. With four teams of firefighters working their hoses from different angles, you were going to get wet. Not just wet, you were going to get blasted with water. It was incredibly difficult keeping my lens clear of spots, and my D3 had to be constantly patted dry. Thank god for weather sealing.

Covering this was a great learning experience; I was able to follow the various teams up to and inside the aircraft. I was also allowed to shoot from inside the simulator as it burned in an attempt to shoot the firefighters entering. And while there’s a huge difference between shooting a burning building and aircraft, I believe that what I learned here will help me immeasurably when covering fires in the city.

Check out what C.S. Muncy packed to cover this firefighter training here.

Now a self-described “lawyer in recovery,” Atlanta-based Jeff Guyer spent fourteen years in courtrooms representing all walks of life before deciding in 2002 that it was time to start photographing them instead. A graduate of Wayne State University (B.A. in journalism, 1986) and Emory University School of Law, Jeff has been able to take his life-long love of photography and tap back into his creative side on a professional level. Spending most of his time photographing weddings, portraits, food, special events, and sports, Jeff also launched his photography class for kids, “Digital Photo Challenges,” two years ago. When not photographing for his clients or teaching what he knows to a new generation of photographers, Jeff– still an avid film shooter– can usually be found somewhere on the streets of Atlanta, chasing light and telling a story…or just hanging out with Max, his 11-year-old son/hero.

A house in Detroit burned to the ground in the wee small hours of the morning on Friday, and the police suspect arson.

Ordinarily, neither of these circumstances would raise much of an eyebrow in the Motor City– perhaps one of (if not the) hardest-hit city in recent economic times. What made this fire different, though, was that the house it destroyed was not one of the unfortunately thousands of abandoned or broken-down homes that make up such a large part of the city’s decaying landscape. It was, rather, the “Obstruction of Justice” house– part of artist Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project. Started in 1986, the outdoor art project turned a run-down residential street on the city’s east side into an ever-evolving art installation. Originally one part political protest, one part artistic expression, and one part cleaning up the neighborhood, Heidelberg Street became an eclectically polka-dotted, brightly painted enclave that started attracting the good kind of attention, rather than driving it away.

Arson, unfortunately, was not the only catastrophe to befall the project over the years. Two former mayors– Coleman Young in 1991 and Dennis Archer in 1999– ordered the demolition of three houses each, supposedly because of the stumbling blocks the project posed to urban planning. To say that the mayors’ efforts would have been better directed elsewhere is an understatement.

The Heidelberg Project has since received national and international attention, and has been the subject of several books and documentaries., including an MTV special and Heidelberg’s own children’s book published in 2011. Guyton continues lecturing and offering workshops, both at Heidelberg and across the country. As in any major city, where social, political, and economic factors often force the arts to take a back seat to other concerns, the Heidelberg Project continues to face its share of hurdles and challenges. The fact that intentional destruction is one of those challenges, however, is disturbing. Kudos to Guyton, however, who is looking for the positive. Quoted in a “Huffington Post” article following the fire, Guyton says, “I guess you need to rise above the hate.”

On one my visits back to Detroit two summers ago, I had a chance to spend some time wandering through Heidelberg with a small group of photographers. Taking our time as we walked among the decorated houses, transformed objects, and reclaimed real estate, we often found ourselves at times experiencing the art, rather than just observing and recording it. Taking photos in reflections one moment, or images of a fellow photographer coaxing music from a painted piano the next.

Art installations tend to have a certain ebb and flow. We’re not talking about a framed canvas hanging on a wall indoors behind a velvet rope. We’re talking about something alive and tangible. Something organic. Something resilient.

Something like Motown.

I hope they catch the guy. And sentence him to a lifetime of art therapy…among other things.

Now a self-described “lawyer in recovery,” Atlanta-based Jeff Guyer spent fourteen years in courtrooms representing all walks of life before deciding in 2002 that it was time to start photographing them instead. A graduate of Wayne State University (B.A. in journalism, 1986) and Emory University School of Law, Jeff has been able to take his life-long love of photography and tap back into his creative side on a professional level. Spending most of his time photographing weddings, portraits, food, special events, and sports, Jeff also launched his photography class for kids, “Digital Photo Challenges,” two years ago. When not photographing for his clients or teaching what he knows to a new generation of photographers, Jeff– still an avid film shooter– can usually be found somewhere on the streets of Atlanta, chasing light and telling a story…or just hanging out with Max, his 11-year-old son/hero.

I recently saw a post about using zip ties as a makeshift wrench for removing filters from lenses and from each other (for those of you who stack them).  Even the author recognized the dangers of the method when he pointed out that if not done properly the filter(s) in question could accidentally fly across the room like Japanese throwing stars (my analogy, not his).  Obviously, any method that puts your lenses, filters, pets, windows, kids, or the coffee maker in harm’s way if not done precisely right should have you asking, “Isn’t there a better way?”

Funny you should ask.  The main thing to remember when removing stuck filters is that they can be bent or damaged pretty easily if you don’t apply even pressure around the ring.  That’s why you don’t want to grip it like you’re opening a jar of pickles.  Instead, use that rubber thing that you DO use for opening the pickle jar, but start by laying it on a flat, firm surface.  Holding the lens as shown, place the filter ring against the rubber, push down, and turn.  You shouldn’t have to press that hard– the firm surface below the rubber mat helps apply even pressure from both directions, removing any chance of bending or otherwise damaging the filter ring.  If this problem presents itself in the field while out on assignment, you can achieve the same result using the bottom of a rubber-soled shoe.

I know, I know– “What about Variable ND filters?”  Since these filters are adjustable via a freely turning outer ring, this method isn’t a good idea.  You would be putting pressure on the part of the filter that is not actually stuck.  For this dilemma your best bet is going to be wrapping a rubber band around the threaded ring so you can actually get a grip on the filter.  As mentioned, though, be careful of applying uneven pressure– good filters and lenses are not cheap.  You don’t want to find yourself having to replace or repair either of them.

It took a degree in Economics, a M.B.A. and five years sitting under corporate, fluorescent lights for Lisa to really figure out what she wanted to do in life; take photos.  After studying photography at Boston University’s CDIA, she started her business and is now an emerging freelance editorial, commercial and documentary photographer and assistant in Baltimore, Maryland and beyond.

 

After a year of planning, practicing Spanish, researching, talking to others who have gone, reading books by Yoani Sanchez and David Alan Harvey, studying other photographers’ work, and an interview with a local Cuban restaurant owner and escapee, I felt ready. I felt ready to pack my camera bag and make the not-so-legal trek from Baltimore, Maryland to Havana, Cuba with my friend and very talented fellow photographer, Alison Harbaugh. Aside from the planning and research, we also covered also our bases from a logistical and safety perspective. I made reservations at multiple casa particulars, had the address and phone numbers of the U.S. Consulate and ally embassies, arranged for a fixer, and wrote a detailed contingency plan for our husbands to execute if they didn’t hear from us in 72 hours. From a photography perspective, we planned to work on an inspiring joint multimedia project along with our own side projects. We were ready and excited to fly to our destination under the radar and begin the adventure. The adventure, however, didn’t go exactly to plan, and for that I’m very grateful.

Things got interesting when we arrived in Cancun. We had to buy our flight to Havana in cash and we came prepared with hundreds of Canadian dollars. The Cubana Air kiosk, located outside of the international airport annex, however, was conveniently only accepting Mexican pesos. We had to sweet talk a security guard to let us back into the international annex so that we could exchange our Canadian Dollars for Pesos at a horrible exchange rate. Luckily, we made the flight to Havana as they were boarding.

When we landed in Havana, things continued to get interesting. Havana customs was dimly lit with fluorescent lights, had multiple non-moving lines packed with gorgeous Danish girls, and just had a generally eerie feeling to it. After running our bags through security, the customs agents asked to see our passports, had a hushed conversation, an eventually let us through to get in line. The customs agent checked my papers, stamped my visa and let me though to the second x-ray machine. They checked our passports again, had another hushed conversation, and let us by. We thought we were home free until a agent in a mini skirt and fishnet stalkings stopped Ali and escorted her to a table. Oh no. The fixer is waiting for us outside, they might detain my friend, what if they take her gear, and what if we get deported, were all thoughts running through my head. After an hour and a half of questioning our motives and if we were there to shoot “political events”, they documented every piece of Ali’s gear and let us go. We were exhausted, hungry and relieved. To no surprise, the fixer was nowhere to be found outside, so we had to make our first of many negotiations with a taxi driver.

Even though we were prepared, it was very challenging to process the sights of the city as our taxi drove us to Habana Vieja. Many areas looked like a war zone. The buildings were crumbling and looked as if they would collapse at any moment. Many of them are original Spanish builds from the 1800s and have barely held up due to makeshift bandaids over the years. The simultaneous feeling of sadness, confusion, awe, anger, happiness and appreciation coupled with hunger and a days worth of travel were enough to legitimize an almost silent cab ride.

The first few days were spent wandering Habana Vieja and from a visual and cultural perspective, it was sensory overload. It didn’t take long to throw the multimedia project idea out the window, and it definitely took some time for me to adjust, get comfortable and get photographically creative. The Cuban people are very poor, have monthly rations of food which lack nutrition and substance, are politically oppressed, essentially trapped on the island, and many of them, especially the younger generation, are ready for change and access to information. It’s a very interesting time for Cuba and there are many economic, social, and political factors that are evolving and influencing the future of the country. We didn’t get to travel outside of Havana as originally planned, but I think it’s safe to speak for both of us when I say that we had an unforgettable experience and really grew as people and as photographers. We watched the sunrise, watched the sunset, met people from all over the world, heard incredible stories and music, and documented every second of it. It was clearly evident where socialism failed the Cubans (i.e. the existence of extreme gaps in social class, the food crisis, reliance on the black market, the condition of infrastructure, and willingness to risk their lives on a raft), but the people are doing what they need to do to make things work and live another day. That is was what truly inspired me.

I could write about the details of this trip for days, but I really wanted to conclude with some advice for photographers, or anyone for that matter, when traveling:

1) When sh*t hits the fan, stay calm so you can think logically and rationally about your next move
2) Lower your expectations and don’t put too much pressure on yourself – relax and just be
3) Listen, observe and absorb – you’ll be surprised how much you learn and how much you see when you do
4) When things don’t go according to your itinerary, keep a positive attitude and just go with it – you might discover something amazing
5) Talk to everyone you can, make friends, share stories, and stay in touch
6) If you have a travel companion, it’s extremely important to make time to shoot solo
7) Ask permission before taking someones photo – - make a connection with your subject
8) Keep an open mind at all times
9) Keep a journal of what you do every day – its almost impossible to keep every detail of every day in your head
10) Be smart, be aware of your surroundings and stay organized, but most importantly plan for the unexpected – or better yet, welcome it.

Now a self-described “lawyer in recovery,” Atlanta-based Jeff Guyer spent fourteen years in courtrooms representing all walks of life before deciding in 2002 that it was time to start photographing them instead.  A graduate of Wayne State University (B.A. in journalism, 1986) and Emory University School of Law, Jeff has been able to take his life-long love of photography and tap back into his creative side on a professional level.  Spending most of his time photographing weddings, portraits, food, special events, and sports, Jeff also launched his photography class for kids, “Digital Photo Challenges,” two years ago.   When not photographing for his clients or teaching what he knows to a new generation of photographers, Jeff– still an avid film shooter– can usually be found somewhere on the streets of Atlanta, chasing light and telling a story…or just hanging out with Max, his 11-year-old son/hero.

Let’s face it– photography is an expensive hobby and an even more expensive profession. Camera bodies, speedlights, reflectors, memory cards, lighting equipment, backdrops, batteries, hard drives, tripods, back-ups, gear bags…and don’t forget the glass. Next to the camera itself, quality lenses make up the most expensive part of our “kit” (as an Australian friend of mine would say). In an ideal world money would be no object and pesky things like gear budgets would be non-existent, paving the way for us to purchase all of the shiny, brand-new lenses we wanted (“Hi, B&H? I’ll take one of everything!”). The reality, though, is that I have to balance my lust for gear against how many meals my son gets to eat each week and whether he gets new clothes after his next growth spurt. The truth is, the buying and selling of used lenses has almost become an industry unto itself. There are a lot of high-quality second-hand lenses out there, which means you can save a good bit of money if you’re smart.

THE SELLER

Although I have purchased lenses on ebay with good results, I don’t really recommend it. The first time you are going to have the lens in your hands is after you’ve paid for it. Unless the seller has blatantly lied about the condition, you’re stuck with it (and sometimes even if they have). It’s entirely possible that what has been advertised as “minor wear” is actually a much larger scratch than you’re willing to overlook. That’s one of the reasons why I recommend only buying used lenses in person.

Try buying locally if you can. First, if you and your seller travel in the same circles, you exponentially increase your odds of an honest, above-board transaction. Nobody is going to risk their reputation over a used lens. Another important benefit to purchasing locally is the fact that you can have an actual visual and physical examination of the lens before you buy it. Being able to check it out and– more importantly– put it on a camera and test it are going to be the two most important factors in your decision to actually buy the lens. More on testing the lens in a bit.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

For starters, a quality lens is just going to feel good in your hands. Take a minute or two to look for anything obvious– dings, scratches, or any places where the finish may have rubbed off. Are the rubber grips on the zoom and focus rings snug and intact? Only you can decide for yourself how much is too much, but remember that what you see on the outside is usually indicative of the care with which the original owner treated the lens. Also keep in mind that the finish on a quality lens should not rub off, regardless of age and proper use.

Next check the front element, preferably in bright light. Hold the lens against the light at different angles, checking the coating and glass for any scratches or other imperfections. Some of these imperfections MIGHT not necessarily affect image quality, but they should absolutely be a factor in negotiating the price. If the lens has an aperture ring, open it all the way and try looking all the way through it like a telescope. Do you see any dust, mold, or anything else that shouldn’t be inside your potential investment?

Now turn it around and check the mount. Is it clean? Are there any scratches? Is it bent or seemingly out of alignment in any way? Are the contacts in good condition? Remember that this point of connection is the only thing that lets the camera communicate with the lens. This is where it can all go wrong if you’re not careful. Any of the imperfections discussed so far might not necessarily be deal-breakers, but any problems whatsoever with the mount should be. Just walk away.

TEST IT!!

If you’ve purchased used lenses before, chances are you either didn’t test it at all, or if you did test it, you probably took a few random shots in the parking lot where you met the seller to make sure the auto-focus was working and that something actually showed up on your camera’s LCD. Don’t sell this part of the process short. Take a methodical approach.

You’ve changed lenses enough times to know how it should feel. Does the lens turn smoothly or does it feel like you’re forcing it? Is it too tight? Too loose?

Now shoot. I’m not talking about two or three shots. I’m talking about 100 shots. To really put this potential purchase through its paces you need to take close, mid-range and far focus images at multiple apertures, and in small increments along the entire zoom range of the lens. Was that spot there at f/16 or only at f/2.8? A problem that shows up at 200mm might not manifest itself at 70mm. Listen for strange noises. Does the auto-focus sound right? Do you hear anything rattling around inside the lens?

CHECK THE IMAGES

Even people who are careful about testing used lenses before they buy them hardly ever think to bring a laptop with them so they can get a good look at the test shots. We all know that the LCD is an unreliable indicator of image quality when we are photographing for our clients, so why should you automatically trust it when you’re about to hand over your hard-earned cash to a stranger? If the seller really is on the up-and-up they won’t mind sticking around for a few extra minutes while you check the image quality against the only standard that really matters– your own two eyes.

I know we all love the excitement of opening new boxes from B&H and Adorama. It would be a mistake, however, to avoid well-cared-for lenses just because they’re previously owned. Nikon, Canon, and the others spend a great deal of time and money researching and producing lenses which are made to last. If you take a smart, methodical approach there is no reason why one of these previously used lenses can’t find a valuable, productive spot in your camera bag.

Chris Rusanowsky (b.1990) is a freelance photographer and aspiring photojournalist. In the early years of his life, Chris has been exposed to a lot of different ways of life. Traveling since he was six of age Chris spent most of his childhood moving around the United States with his mother and sister. This cemented Chris with his first relationship with art and self-expression. His grandmother later on gave Chris his first camera and would take him out to photograph their adventures. Chris in his young career has been photographing a wide range of subject and has worked with many West Coast companies such as: Famous Clothing, Golden Lucille, KFI Radio, LA Fashion, Loupe Magazine, Eccentric Symphony and many more. Ha has also been published in Loupe Magazine in 2010 for his photo essay about graffiti artists as well as awarded and published as a finalist in The Photographers Forum Magazine, Best of Photography 2010. In Early 2011 Chris decided to take his documentary projects to the next level by flying international to the Philippines to document modern day poverty. Chris is attending school in photojournalism in his hometown of Pennsylvanian where he is working on long term projects and providing commercial wedding services.

In February of 2012 I took a trip to document poverty in Manila, Philippines for 32 days. Upon my arrival to Manila I felt an overwhelming feeling of the growing city. From the first step onto the streets, to the time of making my return home I had witnessed beautiful people living in poverty.

My project starts at a city dump site, a place the locals call “Smokey Mountain”. It was named after the thick, white soot that filled the air. There was a highly compacted muddy road condensed with huts on each of side of it, leading me to a community of huts made with abandoned materials. The people of Smokey Mountain have been forced to live around the dump site to search through trash to find recyclables as a means of income. Surrounding the homes were a large row of charcoal shanties, where these men, women and children from the age of six worked 24 hours a day. These huts had no foundation and could have collapsed at any time. The smoke from the charcoal billowed into the air, leaving a burning sensation in the back of my throat from which I could only describe as acrid. The children did not know anything more than this isolated place of poverty. They try to live a normal childhood, playing in the waters that flowed next to a shipping harbor.

A boy by the name of Reynixon Roysales has been living in Smokey Mountain since the age of six, along with his Mother, Father and Sister. He spends his days rummaging through piles of garbage in hopes of acquiring plastic to afford a meal that typically consists of instant coffee and rice as well as looking around the house for abandoned duck eggs to eat. The hope of a future keeps the spirit of this boy alive.

After the death of his aunt Reynixon, his family left to attend their relatives funeral for one week. When they arrived back home, the house had been broken into and looted. Everything of value was stripped from them. After being left with absolutely nothing, Reynixon and his family had moved to live at his cousin’s who owned a house “which had no roof”. After 2 years of living at his cousin’s, Reynixon started to work with a church in Manila.

At the age of 20, Reynixon had against all odds broken away from poverty to start a new future as a pastor. In 2001, he valiantly returned to Smokey Mountain to provide the food that these children so badly needed. Surpassing any expectations he had for himself in his future, Reynixon established The Malaya Kids Ministry. This Ministry located in the heart of Smokey Mountain has helped the community by finally providing the electricity, education and nourishment these children deserved for so long.

The boy who had experienced scraping the bottom of the barrel for leftover food never gave up hope and had returned to this extremely harsh environment as a righteous man with a highly benevolent intent, lending his hand out to these children who would’ve been otherwise left behind.

C.S. Muncy is a freelance photojournalist based out of New York City with a client list that includes The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, The New York Daily News and The Village Voice. As a freelancer, he’s covered such subjects as the BP Oil Spill, the fight for same-sex civil rights, the takeover of the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin and Occupy Wall Street. A graduate of the Defense Information School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2002 and is currently a photographer with the New York Air National Guard.

Last year I was assigned to cover Air Force firefighter training, involving a simulator aircraft that could be lit and re-lit using high capacity propane tanks. The purpose of the training was to show both Air Force and civilian firefighters how to successfully extract victims from a burning aircraft, as well as how to extinguish the flames.

I’ll be covering the same training this week, and intend to use what I’ve learned in the last year to try and shoot stronger photos. Instead of simply going for the action shots (though I’ll still try for those, of course) I’ll also try for the quieter moments. No more “spraying and praying,” instead I will take what I’ve learned from my editors, teachers and colleagues to try and “wait for the moment.”

At the same time, there are some safety concerns to take into account. The aircraft burns at well over a thousand degrees, and can seriously damage gear and exposed skin if you’re not paying attention. The trick is to keep an eye on the source of the fire and the other firefighters working around you. If they’re backing off, it might be a good time to do the same.

I’ve put together my “bag list” of gear for the next week. For this assignment, I’ll be packing:

1) Firefighting jacket, helmet, gloves and (not pictured) boots, mask and pants.
2) Nikon D3
3) Nikon D600
4) Nikon 24-70 2.8 AF-S
5) Nikon 85mm 1.4 AF-D
6) Nikon 50mm 1.4 AF-D
7) Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR AF-S
8) Lensbaby Composer
9) GoPro Hero3
10) Hasselblad XPan
11) Mixed 35mm film (mostly a 50/50 mix of Kodak TMax and Fuji Sensia 100 slide film.)
12) First aid kit (not pictured)
13) Rain cover (not pictured)

The last item’s pretty important. Last year, as I approached the fire with the rest of the team, the trucks behind us hosed us down to help keep us cool. Thankfully, the D3 is pretty water-sealed, but that’s not the sort of thing I’d like to put to the test unnecessarily. The downside to that is that you have to keep an eye on all of your items to make sure it’s not getting so hot that your gear reaches their failure points.

C.S. Muncy is a freelance photojournalist based out of New York City with a client list that includes The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, The New York Daily News and The Village Voice. As a freelancer, he’s covered such subjects as the BP Oil Spill, the fight for same-sex civil rights, the takeover of the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin and Occupy Wall Street. A graduate of the Defense Information School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2002 and is currently a photographer with the New York Air National Guard.

There’s a reason I shoot on film. Well, there’s a bunch of reasons, actually, but only one that really matters.

Film has soul.

I know that sounds like some pretty weak reasoning, especially to some of my gear-obsessed, digital-shooting friends. But it’s true. Film has depth and character, where digital is cold and pragmatic. Film can be messy and sometimes unpredictable where digital is shiny, clean and precise. Film’s like a great rock song that never leaves your playlist; it’s AC/DC and the Rolling Stones spooled up in a 36-frame roll, where digital feels more like Dubstep and Lady GaGa on a 16GB SDHC memory card.

I also love playing with new and obscure formats. I started out shooting 35mm, but quickly moved up to medium format. Once I felt confident there, I started moving up to 4×5 and 8×10. The great thing about working with film is that the fundamentals are essentially the same through all formats: understand the balance between ISO, shutter speed and aperture and you can operate almost any camera set before you. Over the past few years though, I’ve been wanting to try something new and unique.

Enter the tintype. The tintype, also known as the ferrotype, is a type of photo made by exposing an image onto a tin or aluminum sheet that is blackened by paint, which works in conjunction with collodion photographic emulsion. It shares many characteristics with the ambrotype, where the image is exposed to a glass plate instead of metal. The format came into existence in the mid 1800′s and became popular around the same time as the American Civil War. As gelatin-based negatives began to appear at the end of the century, its popularity faded until it became a particularly niche product.

Earlier this year I visited the Penumbra Tintype Studio, a non-profit member supported organization dedicated to preserving historical and emulsion based photography. Anyone looking to learn about alternative photographic formats and processes would do well to invest some time there. During one afternoon, they taught me how to prepare, shoot and develop tintypes; what lenses and cameras work best and what kind of lighting is necessary for a good exposure. The school also offers workshops, gallery spaces, classrooms and studios, and has an incredibly diverse library with unique and original material covering almost two centuries of photography.

If you’re looking to begin shooting tintypes yourself, I’d recommend you pick up an older 4×5 camera and some specialized film holders (or at least be willing to adapt your own.) It’s a messy and time consuming process, so you’ll need to be patient. There are some great kits you can buy online, but the easiest I’ve found has been the Rockland Colloid Tintype Parlor kit, which includes the chemistry you need and a number of pre-cut aluminum plates.

The great thing about shooting in obscure formats such as this is that -once you feel confident in working with it- you can offer your clients something absolutely unique. Sure, you can use Photoshop to recreate this to a degree, but nothing in the world quite matches holding one of these unique, one of a kind images in your hand.

Like most photojournalists I am often seen as “that” photography who over-documents their life. I usually do it a little differently than most. But before I do lets set the stage here and I will clue you in on some of our super-secret photojournalist club rules. Us photojournalists often document our own lives with a 35mm f/1.4 on our cameras and creatively forget that there are apertures beyond f/1.4. Some of us have moved on and we have begun to document our reality with our iPhones (Android phones are definitely exempt) and Instagram our over saturated lives. Actually, no, that was our old modus operandi. Instagram was so 2012. So some have fallen back to old classics to legitimize our creative prowess. We have a designated “walk-around” camera and it is a Leica. If we’re really cool it’s a film Leica with either Tri-X or Tri-X with plans to push one of the rolls two stops. Now that you know our secrets and have heard our collective confessional, let me continue. Instead of the above ways of documentation I often use a photo booth and let the people with me be creative and make their own pictures.

Last weekend our dear friends threw us a co-ed baby shower and it was a ton of fun. Yes, even for the men. Leading up to the shower I knew I wanted to make a visual guest book for our daughter so that someday she could see all the people who showered her with lots of love. So I fell back on the old photo booth concept. In the weeks leading up to this shower my wife bought a playful background for the photo booth to fit the shower theme. I knew the pictures wouldn’t read “baby” unless we made everyone hold a bottle, a stuffed animal, or a bag of diapers. I wasn’t about to ask my friends do something that lame. On the morning of the shower the elusive idea I had sought out to make this baby photo booth special landed on my frontal lobe like a Hefty trash bag chock-full of diapers after coming down a 35 story trash chute in a NYC high rise. I would set it up from a baby’s perspective. Yes! Leave it to the photojournalist to get the inspiration on deadline.

More of Garrett’s baby photo booth pictures on his blog.

This all started around nine years at a graduation party for an emerging photojournalist. He had a camera set up with a ring light, a backdrop and we all had a blast. I noticed three things that evening. First, it allowed my friend who was graduating to visit with everyone in the room without a camera glued to his face. Second I noticed that almost all the guests really had fun with it. Lastly, once I saw the pictures days later I realized that he had a super fun visual guest book and we, his guests had some fun memories in the form of an indelible .jpg.  Thank you Robert Caplin for inviting me to your graduation party! After that I started setting them up at my client’s weddings. It was a huge hit for the exact same reasons it was a huge hit at Caplin’s grad party. Throughout the years I’ve added props to my photo booth which seems to help people let loose a little bit and get them off the ground creatively. Here are a few of my favorites over the years.

More of Garrett’s favorites wedding photo booth pictures on his wedding site.

As a professional photographer giving up almost all control over the image is kind of like handing the keys of your treasured car to all of your friends even though you’d really like to be the one driving even if you’ve been driving for six hours without a bathroom break and your left leg is asleep. You endure because you know how crazy your friends are behind the wheel. But when you do give up the keys you shuffle to the back seat of your own car and you watch each person takes a turn at the wheel and try not to be that backseat driver offering advice and critique even when you know you’re right. This handing over of the “creative keys” of your photographs can be frightening and freeing at the same time.

I can look back over the years I’ve got a fun collection of memories. I’ve set up photo booths for Halloween, Birthday parties, fundraisers for the not-for-profit organization started by my friends called Davids Hope, and even for the “Garrett got his dream job celebration” party I threw when I was hired on at USA TODAY in 2008. I’ve likely set up about 30 photo booths for various events and seasons of my life. All in all, after eight years of other people driving me around the visual landscape with my photo booth I’ve come to learn giving up control is a beautiful thing.

 
Scott Wyden Kivowitz is a New Jersey photographer sharing his passion any way he can. He regularly hosts photography events and workshops across NJ. Scott is also the Community & Blog Wrangler at Photocrati, developer of wordpress photography themes and the photographer’s SEO community where he provides education and conversations around all photographic topics.
 

Recently I was out shooting with another local photographer. It was a day after it snowed, and the park we were walking through was white and frozen over. We walked hard and fast, talking a lot to stay warm. It was fun, and the results were well worth the cold.

Now that the story is over, I want to share one of the conversation we were having along the walk.

The conversation went something like this:

Him: At some point this year I have to figure out the blogging thing.

Me: Well, blogging is a funny thing. If you aren’t looking to make money from your website, then blogging won’t do anything for you. But if you want to sell prints or services then blogging is extremely important.

Him: Yea, I’m not sure.

You see, he doesn’t take pictures with the intention of making money from it. His photographs are taken specifically for the love of the craft.

Should I Blog?

So when you’re deciding whether it’s time to start blogging, keep in mind the following.

• • You may want to blog for the interaction and connections though comments and social sharing.
• • You may want to blog for the search engine optimization of your website. So your website comes up for keywords you want, like San Francisco Wedding Photographers.
• • You may want to blog for customer attraction. Having a blog gives more things for visitors to read and browse.
• • You may want to blog for more website traffic. If you are not trying to make money from your work, but are trying to get your work and name out there, then blog.

What’s The Point?

As I mentioned in my brief conversation with a fellow photographer. One of the points of blogging is to increase business. So if you do not care about it, then considering a blog might not be worth your time.

Search engines tend to favor blogs over the rest of a website, so if you are looking for ways of increasing your web presence, then a blog might be worth your time.

Don’t take my word for it. Look at the following presentation from Don Schindler. Don is the Director of University Communications at the University of Notre Dame.

Blogging basics from Don Schindler

Decisions

In the end, blogging is a personal decision. Think about what you want for your website, what your end goal is, and then decide.