Danielle Elise Bartley is a fourth year WKU student from Louisville, Ky. Photography was her main interest when she entered WKU, but now she concentrates her energy on video. Her obsession with Beyoncé’s music videos contributes to her production style. Her obsession with Beyoncé inspires her rhyming skills and bootylicious beats. She is returning to Louisville to work on a personal piece.

Adam Wolffbrandt is a WKU photojournalism junior from Lexington, Ky. He is nowhere near as gangster as Danielle, but tries to keep up with his sweet dance moves. He will be starting an internship with the Lincoln Journal Star at the end of May.

Each year, a group of students produces a piece around 30 minutes long that we call EOY (End of the Year) for the graduating seniors and other photo students to show pictures and videos of each other from the past year. This year, we decided to make a music video spoof of “Chain Hang Low” by Young Jibbs into a rap about the program here at Western for the intro to EOY.

The rap was originally just the main chorus, but we ended up staying in the studio for hours coming up with the next verses laughing our heads off.

It was so much fun shooting a music video with some of our best friends. They were so easy to work with and the more we shot, the crazier it got. We could ask them to do weird things and they were totally cool with it.

We could say things like, “oh, I think it would be really funny if you acted like a tiger on that red couch,” and they gave us even more than we expected.

We’ve spent years learning all the skills of photojournalism through our classes, and we just found a chance to step back and use those skills for something completely ridiculous and fun with our friends. We both love doing what we do with photojournalism, but it was refreshing to try something new and different.

In 2005, New York based editorial and commercial photographer Chris Owyoung got his first digital SLR to take photos of flowers and rusty fire hydrants. Today, he’s an internationally published music photographer specializing in concert photography and promotional portraits for bands. His work has appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Q Magazine, SPIN, Billboard, Vibe, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, and The Guardian. His commercial clients include American Express, Wrangler Jeans, Clear Channel, Roadrunner Records, and the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis. In addition to his photography, Chris is the Senior Marketing Manager at PhotoShelter, the leader in portfolio websites, photo sales, marketing and archiving tools for photographers. He loves to talk to photographers about online marketing and SEO.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m extremely particular about my tools and that I love to work efficiently. In music photography, nine times out of ten that means striking a good balance between weight/mobility and carrying the right equipment. This is my go-to kit for concert photography.

The “bag” I rely on most when shooting live performances is actually a modular belt system made by Kinesis. For long concerts or music festivals, I’ll choose a belt system over a shoulder bag or roller in order to save by back muscles, remain fully mobile, and have instant access to my gear. While a belt system from any manufacturer would accomplish this, for me Kinesis strikes the perfect balance of carry-options, build quality, and protection for my gear. I’ve found that the following configuration of bag and gear allows me to cover 95% of the problems I encounter during concert photography.

The specific belt configuration I use consists of:

- 1 Standard Weight Belt
- 1 M550 Medium Multi Pouch
- 1 E280 Large Lens Pouch
- 1 A257 Body Pouch

The Medium Multi Pouch is worn in front, giving me direct access to three small to medium lenses and all of my accessories. When every split second counds, the lid of the Multi Pouch can be tucked behind the belt giving me instant access to additional lenses without the fuss of a zipper or draw-string. The Body Pouch sits on my left side and typically holds two speedlights or a third camera body. The Large Lens Pouch holds a 70-200 zoom lens and will zip closed when the lens hood is reversed. While shooting, I typically leave the lens hood in the active position and allow the back of the lens to protrude slightly from the top of the pouch, again allowing for zipperless-access to a longer lens when needed.

I typically shoot with two to three camera bodies so that I have several focal lengths to choose from at any given moment. Carrying multiple bodies and mixture of zooms and prime lenses also allows me to keep working in the event that a single lens or body goes down or in case of extremely low light. I also tend to carry multiple speedlights with wireless triggers and a large bounce card should the opportunity for a portrait arise or if the ambient light is simply too weak to work in.

If a lens is mounted on each of my two main camera bodies, I typically carry a total of 5 lenses in this bag setup. The 85mm starts attached to one body, the 24-70mm starts attached to the other. This leaves space in center Multi Pouch for two additional lenses and one empty space that I use as a temporary holding area while changing lenses. Here’s the list of specific gear pictured above:

- 2 Nikon D3 Digital SLR body
- 1 Nikon D800 Digital SLR body (used to take the photo)
- 1 Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 AF-S G
- 1 Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G
- 1 Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S G
- 1 Nikon 35mm f/1.4 AF-S G (used to take the photo)
- 1 Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S G
- 2 Nikon SB-900 Speedlights
- 1 PocketWizard AC3 Zone Controller
- 1 PocketWizard MiniTT1 wireless flash trigger
- 1 PocketWiard FlexTT5 wireless flash trigger
- 1 Demb Flash Diffuser Pro

The Kinesis Medium Multi Pouch also allows me to carry a variety of ass-saving field essentials (yeah, that’s the technical term). Among the most important are extra memory cards, light ear plugs, industrial ear covers, business cards, pain killers, and chewing gum.

- Black Rapid Double Strap camera carry system
- Think Tank Photo Pixel Pocket Rocket
- Peltor Behind-the-head Earmuffs
- Etymotic high fidelity ETY-Plugs
- Pen
- LensPen
- Hand sanitizer
- Tylenol
- Nivea lip balm
- Eneloop rechargeable AA batteries
- Business cards (two kinds)
- Fieldnotes notepad
- Lens cloth

Charlotte-based photographer Peter Taylor started a project shooting southern food purveyors.

In an effort to explore where our food comes from and who supplies it, where it goes, and what it looks like when you get it,  I started looking for suppliers in my region . I was looking for Southern suppliers and suppliers who are doing it on the smaller scale. Terms like organic, free range, quality of life, local, family are what I was seeking out. I started this project last year by shooting a SC shrimper ( view it here ).

I am not sure where this project is going or even what to call it ( suggestions are welcome! ), but I am going to continue to shoot a few more of these stories and see where it takes me.

Continue reading and see more photos on Peter’s blog.

Ami Vitale’s journey as a photographer and filmmaker has taken her to more than 80 countries where she has witnessed civil unrest and violence, but also surreal beauty and the enduring power of the human spirit. Her photographs have been commissioned by nearly every important international publication including National Geographic, Newsweek, Time, New Yorker, Geo, Le Figaro, Paris Match and Smithsonian. These images have been exhibited around the world in museums, galleries and are part of numerous private collections. She has garnered prestigious awards including multiple prizes from World Press Photos, the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting, named Magazine Photographer of the Year by both the National Press Photographer’s Association, the International Photographer of the Year prize, and named as one of the top 30 photographers from Photo District News Magazine, among others. Recently, she has been the subject of the five-part documentary series “Over the Islands of Africa” and a featured speaker in more than 20 countries from Asia to Europe and Latin America. Now based in Montana, Vitale is a contract photographer with National Geographic magazine and is writing a book about the stories behind her images.

Join photographer Ami Vitale for this enlightening week as she guides you to take your passion for photography and make a difference in your life’s work in the pristine Centennial Valley of Southwest Montana. The week long workshop will focus on how to take strong still images and turn them into compelling stories that make a difference. With only 6-10 participants, this intimate environment will leave you with the tools to develop and sustain a long term project, generate ideas for funding, and discuss possible outlets for your images.  You’ll ride the stunning Montana range, learn about the managing landscapes holistically for the triple bottom line ($, ecology/wildlife, and community) and capture the truly wild spirit of the west with working cowboys and ranch life to native wildlife and untouched environments. Classroom hours provide you the time to hear Ami’s lectures, ask questions and learn not just how to create beautiful images but how to edit them into a cohesive, artful story. She will discuss how to find new opportunity with grant writing, working with NGO’s, creating multimedia slideshows, and producing gallery exhibits.

• • Ride trusty ranch horses across the range and photograph the daily lives of cowboys and cowgirls.
• • Enjoy wildlife tours and hone your wildlife photography skills. Our native wildlife includes pronghorn antelope, raptors, trumpeter swans, elk, grizzly bears, coyotes, fox, and wolves. There’s a good chance you’ll see many if not all of these animals!
• • Rest easy in the evenings, enjoy ranch gourmet cuisine, a soak in the hot tub, and comfy deluxe lodging.
• • Surround yourself with the natural beauty of the Centennial Valley and the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge; coined the most beautiful wildlife refuge in America.

Dates and Pricing:

Arrive Sunday September 16th, departing Saturday September 22nd traveling through Idaho Falls.

Cost: $2900/person based on double occupancy, $500 single supplement. Prices do not include transportation, alcohol or gratuity.

Learn more about us at www.jbarl.com or by calling us at (406) 596-0600.

Casey Neistat is an award-winning Manhattan-based filmmaker know for creating short viral film through YouTube. He and his brother Van created their own series on HBO called The Neistat Brothers. When not making a film, he can be found running or sleeping.

I’m a fan of tilt shift.  I am not a fan of how Instagram has bastardized the aesthetic.  I am also not a fan of the high costs typically associated with EOS tilt lenses.  Enter the Lensbaby Pro Effects Kit, the ostensible solution to all of my tilt shift concerns.

The kit is relatively cheap at $750 and comes with a number of lens options with 2 pieces of glass and a number of macro adapters.  It also comes with a handy bag and confusing hard plastic holders for the glass, think 35mm film canisters but clear and for lenses.

Most tilt lenses tilt on an X and Y axis, the Lensbaby is built around a ball joint enabling tilting in any direction.  It goes around and around, not just up and down.  This is great for finding your focal point and adjusting it quickly.  It also makes focus possible at a single point in the frame rather than on a plane.  The build is solid, the materials feel sound, and it’s well put together.  I shot mostly video with the camera locked off on a tripod, no camera movement, taking my time with focus and aperture.  It was my first time on the lenses so this was necessary, but I could see these processes becoming much quicker as I see myself getting used to using the Lensbaby.

The results are pretty amazing.  The 35mm lens (dubbed Sweet 35) was dynamic and in my well lit studio enabled a wide focal plane.  Again, the focus ring was smooth and true.  The kit also came with a 80mm lens (Edge 80) which, along with the macro adapters, yielded some stunning results.  I’ve never been able to shoot macro like this before without using an expensive macro lens.  Using this set up, I was able to shoot a quarter and have only half of the coin in focus.  The look was sharp and fresh.

The design of the lensbaby is unlike traditional lenses in that there are 2 pieces; the glass optic and its housing (the Composer).  To swap lenses you change the glass, not the housing.  This, no doubt, is why the price of the kit is so reasonable but proved a bit difficult for me to use.  The glass clicks into the housing similarly to the way you open a child proof bottle of asprin; push and twist.  I was never entirely sure if the lens was properly secured or not and half way through my shoot I accidentally failed to secure the 35mm glass properly and it slid out of the composer. The 12 blade adjustable aperture broke when it hit the floor.  I should have been more careful, but this was something I struggled with throughout my shoot.

All in all I recommend the kit.  There is nothing else on the market that gives you the options that Lensbaby does for the low price.  The results are stunning and the kit is well built.  You need to take your time with it, so it may not be perfect for an on-the-run photographer, but when used as it was meant to be used, it is a great product.

What was your first professional job in the photo world?
Oddly enough, my first professional assignment was in Cuba. I studied abroad there in early 2008 and had met an editor at Bloomberg News (he saw my photos in The Washington Square News, NYU’s student newspaper, and reached out to me as an alum) a few weeks before I left. They said if anything crazy happens down there to check my email. When Fidel Castro resigned as president after almost 50 years in power, they didn’t have a freelancer on the island. I was eating lunch outside a local food shack when I heard the news, ran to check my email, and had about two hours to shoot, edit, and transmit.

Cuba, shot in 2009.

What has been your favorite assignment, and what is your dream assignment?
This one is pretty easy—in 2011, The Wall Street Journal sent me to fly in a stunt plane with the Air National Guard Aerobatics team. I flew with the lead pilot in his custom-built stunt plane for about an hour, and it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had while taking pictures. It was a huge challenge to shoot—try adjusting your camera settings while coming out of multiple barrel rolls and being upside-down for two minutes—but I remember having a kid-on-Christmas grin on my face, from takeoff to just before I lost my lunch towards the end of the flight.

Favorite assignment ever: National Guard Airshow Practice, Long Island, 2011.

How do you balance earning money, and self-satisfaction?
I’m definitely a photojournalist at heart, but I’ve always been interested in other types of photography and motion work. I try to work on a decent amount of projects outside the newspaper industry. Most of these fall into the commercial non-profit category, but I also work with a few advertising clients that pay the bills.
In terms of personal satisfaction, I am always striving to support my personal life and interests. I also teach/volunteer at an after-school photography program here in NYC. It is a ton of fun and feels good to give back.

Hofstra BBall fans try to distract an opponent from a last-second free-throw, 2011.

What advice do you have for someone thinking about getting in to photojournalism?
I majored in Economic Policy in college, so when I decided to become a photojournalist I asked a lot of people for advice. Everyone in the photo world told me to become an economist, make some money, then give photography a try. Everyone in the business world told me to follow my dream and try photography, and if it doesn’t workout, get a desk job.

There’s a lot of advice out there for the budding photojournalist, but here’s one thing I don’t usually hear mentioned: Develop a thick “photo” skin. You’re going to be ignored, you’re going to be told your work sucks, you’re going to be passed over for a gig you thought you’d be perfect for…you need to learn to get over yourself pretty quickly in this industry.

NYU's Bobst library, shot when photography was still a hobby, shot in 2008.

What is your ultimate goal, or your end game, in the photo world?
I love the variety of work I’m allowed to pursue as a freelancer, but a staff job at a major newspaper in NYC would be a dream for me. To consistently have the resources and backing of an organization would be amazing. By not worrying so regularly about my profits and losses statements, I could free up more time to develop my photography.

If that doesn’t work out, I hope to figure out a way to split my year photographically—six months of commercial/editorial work, and six months of non-profit, humanitarian, and personal work. The first six months pays for the second.

Trader reacts on the floor of the NYSE the day the USA's credit rating dropped from AAA, 2011.

What types of classes do you wish you’d taken in school?
Psychology classes, no doubt. Photojournalism, especially assignment work, forces you to meet and photograph so many strangers/personalities, often in extremely time-constrained circumstances. It’s so important to be able to very quickly gage the atmosphere you’re shooting in, and of course the mood of your subject.

Daniella Zalcman lives in NYC where she works as a freelance photographer for The Wall Street Journal. Born in Washington D.C., she graduated from Columbia with a degree in Architecture in 2009. Other clients have included The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Saatchi & Saatchi, National Geographic, The Nation, Wired & Esquire.
Online: www.dan.iella.net / @dzalcman
Age: 25
Clients: The Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News
Time in NYC: 7 years
Gear used on assignment: 1 Canon 5D Mark II + Canon 35mm 1.4, 24-70mm 2.8, 70-200mm 2.8, 16-35mm 2.8

What was your first professional job in the photo world?
In 2007, when Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave his now infamous speech at Columbia University, I was a student working for the undergrad newspaper.  A photo editor with the New York Daily News called the Spectator office to see if they could get a student to photograph the event (because of security concerns, only a handful of journalists were allowed to attend).  I got the job, and my photo was the front page of the NYDN the next morning.

Backstage at DKNY Fashion Week show, NYC, 2008

What has been your favorite assignment, and what is your dream assignment?
I absolutely can’t pick a favorite assignment, but a few include: skipping the first two weeks of my senior year to photograph the DNC and RNC in 2008, photographing New York from an Osprey during Fleet Week last year, documenting Vietnam’s first and only little league baseball team, and photographing the demolition of the old Yankee Stadium. I’ve got some projects that I’d really love to work on in the near-ish future in Vietnam, Cambodia, Uganda. Those are definitely dream assignments.  I’ve also always wanted to be an Air Force photographer.

Soccer in the aftermath of the earthquake at Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 2010

How do you balance earning money, and self-satisfaction?
Really, I love all of the work I do.  There are a couple corporate gigs that I take once in a while to supplement my income that don’t speak to me artistically or journalistically, but right now I’m really happy with my current balance of newspaper/non-profit/commissioned work.  I also design websites on the side, which is a fun way for me to pretend I know something about graphic design.

Dona Caterina roasting coffee beans, San Juan Cotzal, Guatemala, 2010

What advice do you have for someone thinking about getting in to photojournalism?
Be patient. Be friendly to everyone, you never know who you’ll meet, when. My first internship came from striking up a conversation with someone at a Stephen Malkmus concert. Value your own worth but never take yourself too seriously. Be just a little crazy. Surround yourself with good people (like Andrew and Ben here). I can’t stress that enough. This industry is brutal without friends who can dispense advice and help you out from time to time. And most of all, be someone who’s pleasant to work with.

Vietnam's first little league baseball team, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2011

What is your ultimate goal, or your end game, in the photo world?
I feel like this might be a fairly common desired end game, but I’d love to be able to regularly secure funding for long-term documentary projects in remote pockets of the globe. I do love the daily miracle of NYC photojournalism, but I wish I could spend more time building long-term relationships with subjects. It’s also easy to feel like everything you photograph in New York has been photographed by someone else before — I’m happier with the unknown.

Lake Uganda, Ggaba, Uganda, 2011

What types of classes do you wish you’d taken in school?
I majored in architecture as an undergrad, so anything I know about photography I picked up on the fly.  For the most part, I’m happy that my background is in another field.  I think that a lot of the core visual principles of photojournalism are best learned from shooting constantly and looking at a lot of work you respect and getting feedback from good editors.  But my big knowledge gap (and what I do regret) is knowing nothing about lighting — I couldn’t light a portrait if you left me in a room with $10k of lighting equipment.  (This has happened to me. It was deeply embarrassing.)

LGBT activist and her partner, Kampala, Uganda, 2011

Andrew Burton is a freelance photojournalist and multimedia producer based in New York. His work has been published in and distributed through The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek, Getty Images, the Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg News, USA Today, CNN, MSNBC, Dateline, The Today Show and The Oregonian, amongst others. He has a degree in journalism with a focus in photography from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Online: www.AndrewBurtonPhoto.com / @HABurton
Age: 25
Clients: Getty Images, Reuters, Associated Press, New York Times, Wall Street Journal
Time in NYC: 2 years
Gear used on assignment: 2x Canon 5D Mark II; 24mm f/1.4; 35mm f/1.4; 50mm f/1.2; 70-200 f/2.8

What was your first professional job in the photo world?
I don’t think it was anything too exciting. I believe I was the intern at Bloomberg News in 2007 (which is primarily a financial news wire), and quarterly earnings had come out for Pepsi Company, so the editors had me go to the grocery store and take photos of Pepsi and people shopping for Pepsi products. But that internship quickly expanded into other, more exciting assignments – a few weeks later I was assigned to take a portrait of the actor Michael Douglas, and at one point that summer, a steam-pipe exploded on Lexington Avenue, and I was able to cover that news event. The internship also gave me the chance to learn how a wire works, editing, transmitting on deadline, etc.

Portrait of Michael Douglas, New York City, July 2007 (Bloomberg internship)

What has been your favorite assignment, and what is your dream assignment?
I started out with a focus on sports- and in that sense, working as an photo assistant during the Beijing Olympics was by far the best sports assignment I’ve had. I learned a hell of a lot with the photographers I was assisting (Vince Laforet, Don Miralle and Mike Powell), I was able to shoot with the gear they weren’t using, and got to see some of the most incredible sports events of the past 50 years – Usain Bolt’s world record 100-meter sprint, Michael Phelps 8th Gold medal, etc.
As for news – shortly after becoming a freelancer I sent myself to cover the Egyptian revolution, and ended up working for Bloomberg News again. That was an incredible story to follow – the over all electricity in the air, the excitement of the people. It was amazing to witness.

Beijing Olympics, Beijing, China, August 2008 (assisting Vince Laforet)

How do you balance earning money, and self satisfaction?
It’s a tough balance, certainly. But then we should all remember that no job is perfect, and there are pros and cons to every job. I shoot a lot of daily assignments to cover bills and save money for bigger assignments, which, for me, tend to be overseas. Regarding the daily assignments: I enjoy the vast majority of them. They’re usually fun or interesting, you get to know New York really well, meet other photographers, and it helps you train your eye to think quickly in a myriad of situations.

Regarding longer-term projects: I get the most self-satisfaction out of covering bigger, historic events. I’m really attracted to the idea of photographer as historian. So, covering the Egyptian Revolution, or South Sudan’s independence, or the Occupy Wall Street movement, those are things that give me the most satisfaction – stories I can follow. And I’ve been pretty lucky in that I’ve been able to get paid for most of those assignments as well.

The Egyptian Revolution, Tahrir Square, February 2011

What advice do you have for someone thinking about getting in to photojournalism?
The best advice I’ve ever heard about this question came from James Estrin, of the New York Times. he said, “only become a photographer (meaning a professional photojournalist) if you absolutely have to.” As in, only become a photojournalist if it keeps you up at night, if it’s all you can think of, if you know in your bones it’s what you were born to do. If you come to that conclusion, then you need to remember that your skills with a camera is only half the equation – editors want to work with photographers who are easy to work with, good communicators, good at listening and following directions. Jerks don’t often make it very far in this industry.

Aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, northern Japan; March 2011

What is your ultimate goal, or your end game, in the photo world?
Ideally, I’d like to become a staff photographer at a wire service – I think the wires do a great job at documenting the events that matter the most, in a historical aspect. They become the first line of history. And If I could do that with my life, while getting a standard paycheck (ie, without the ups-and-downs and uncertainties of freelancing), I think I’d be a very happy guy.

South Sudan's independence, Juba, South Sudan; July 2011

What types of classes do you wish you’d taken in school?
I think this is a fairly typical response amongst photographers, but I desperately wish journalism/photo school had taught mandatory business courses – basic business, finance, management, contract and negotiation skills. There are so many things I’ve had to figure out on my own, with a lot of bumps in the road: keeping track of assignments, invoicing, money coming in and going out, expenses, taxes, money management, etc. It’s a terrible feeling when you think you’re playing by the rules and have all your ducks in a row, and then your CPA comes to you and says you owe an unexpected $4,000 in taxes.

Occupy Wall Street Movement, New York City, October 2011

Keith Bedford is a freelance photojournalist based in New York City. A native of Baltimore, MD, who as a regular contributor to Reuters and the New York Times has been published in   Time, Newsweek, MSNBC, Stern and Paris Match among others. He spent nearly two years following the campaign of Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election and co-founded The Stumping Grounds, a photo blog dedicated to documenting that election. After which he spent two years covering India and South East Asia, and another year and a half covering China.  Having returned to New York, he is now facing the challenge of talking about himself in the third person and covering a place called home.

Participants of Barnstorm XXI.

Why should you go to the Eddie Adams Workshop? Twelve years ago I made a decision that was probably one of my best. I blew off an angry editor, packed my gear, and hopped a bus to spend a sleepless week with the people who would become my second family. That was the first of eight years that I spent at the Eddie Adams workshop. First as a student and then seven more as a producer. After a four year hiatus living in India and China, I’ve decided to go back to the place that is my second home. Below are some of my reasons why I am and why I think any one eligible should too.

Denny Culbert arrives with all students in 2008.

KNOWLEDGE AND HISTORY
In my time there I have had the pleasure to meet and befriend some of my heroes. They are some of the most talented and giving photographers in the world and they are all at your disposal. When half the faculty had the words “Pulitzer Prize Winning photographer” before their name it doesn’t take a genius to realize that these folks might have something to teach you. In past years the faculty and speakers has included Bill Frakes, John Moore, Mary F. Calvert, Ron Haviv, Joe McNally, Joe Rosenthal, Platon, Howard Shatz, Carolyn Cole, Al Bello, Bill Eppridge, and Michael Williamson just to name a few.

Teams gather on the lawn of the farm.

Combined these people have been witness to some of the greatest milestones in history from the Vietnam War, to the fall of the Berlin Wall, to the death of Bobby Kennedy, to the impeachment of Nixon, to the invasion of Iraq (both times), to the last 20 years of Olympics, to the election of Barack Obama. These are just some of the people that have been given their time to the Workshop.

It’s summer camp for photographers and these are your camp counselors. For this week they are your history books and they are more than willing to share their knowledge with you.

Team producer Keith Bedford

CONTACTS
You are never going to meet this many editors at one time in one place. Every year some of the best photo editors from the world come to this workshop to see new talent. Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post. Yeah. They are all here. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Again, you will never see this many editors in one place at the same time. Jimmy Colton, Michelle McNally, Tim Rasmussen, Jamie Welflord, Mary Ann Golan, Pancho Bernasconi, Brad Smith, and David Griffin are just some of the editors that want to see your book. If you don’t know who I am talking about look them up before you come and plan accordingly. They want to see your best work. Bring your A game or it will be bloody.

Black Team members pose on the roof of the barn.

TOYS
At heart we are all just a bunch of nerds. Charming, creative, intelligent, witty, and talented, but nerds nonetheless. If any photographer tells you he is not into his gear he is lying. Nikon cameras, Profoto lights, Manfrotto tripods, and Pocket Wizards are all there for you to play with. By play with I mean make photos right then and there. Want to mount a camera onto a hang glider with a 6 millimeter lens? Bam!! Done! Need a 400 Millimeter? Team Nikon will give you one. Done! Want to light a barn? Hell, how about an entire football field? Cliff Hausner with Profoto will help make your dreams come true. Never use any of this stuff? The good folks at these companies will help you learn it and even be your personal assistant. They are all there for you. They want you to succeed.

Student Gray Hamner on an assignment using gear provided by Nikon and Profoto.

CAMARADERIE
I always say that I work with a community of the like minded. This workshop is base on that principal. No one is getting paid to be here. The tuition is free. They just want to pass on what they know. They want our community to grow. They want to help make photographers better story tellers, better journalists, and often better people. I have made some of my best friends at this workshop. I went as a student and came back year after year because someone believed in me. Someone pointed the way for me to turn a corner when I was lost. They can do the same for you. These people are part of the community that has edited my stories and made them better, given me help, advise, a tip, a ride, dinner, drinks, a good book, a place to crash, money for poker, a lens when mine was broken, a recommendation when they couldn’t shoot something, an assignment when they thought I was right for it, an editor’s phone number who may really like my work, a reason to smile, and introduced me to my wife. They are your new best friends who have opened the door and set a place at the table for you.

August Adams places his father's signature black hat on a memorial Eddie had built for his fallen photography friends who died in Vietnam.

If you’re eligible, apply. Go on. What are you waiting for? Do you need a better invitation than that? Registration for Barnstorm 25 is open until May 25, and registration is online at http://www.eddieadamsworkshop.com/apply

Orange Team 2004

]]> http://thephotobrigade.com/2012/05/why-you-should-go-to-the-eddie-adams-workshop-by-keith-bedford/feed/ 0 http://thephotobrigade.com/2012/05/canon-5d-mark-iii-review-by-angus-mordant/ http://thephotobrigade.com/2012/05/canon-5d-mark-iii-review-by-angus-mordant/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 15:10:23 +0000 admin http://thephotobrigade.com/?p=6662 do_sud_thumb("http://thephotobrigade.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Canon-5D-Mark-III.jpg","Canon 5D Mark III Review – by Angus Mordant")

Angus Mordant is in his final year of a Bachelor of Arts in Photography majoring in Documentary and Editorial Practice at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Upon the completion of his degree, Angus intends to undertake the Documentary/Photojournalism program at the International Center of Photography in New York. Angus’ work has appeared in many major publications across Australia and abroad. In this guest post, he reviews the new Canon 5D Mark III.
 

A few weeks ago I loaned a 5D Mark III from Canon Pro Services purely out of curiosity, to see what all the fuss was about, and with no actual intention of ever buying one. After all I was absolutely content with my pair of 1D Mark IV‘s that had been my workhorses for the past couple of years, even more so after my 5D Mark II died a few months ago.

After only 3 days of using the 5D Mark III I was in love, so much so that I didn’t want to give it back! Fast-forward a few weeks, and after getting some work sold, as of this week, I am now the proud owner of a 5D Mark III!

5D Mark III w/ 135mm f/2 L at f/3.2 1/4000th ISO100

I always loved the full frame sensor of my 5D Mark II but I was never overly impressed with its high ISO and autofocus capabilities and I increasingly found myself missing pictures because of it. The 5D Mark III has solved both these major pitfalls, and then some!

Picking up the camera at about 5pm on an overcast, chilly, Autumn day in Melbourne the first thing I got to test was the higher ISO capabilities and to be perfectly honest, I was blown away, in fact I was almost sold on the camera from that very moment! With my 5D Mark II and 1D Mark IV’s I always try to stick bellow ISO 6400 however on the 5D Mark III a well-exposed image at ISO 12,800 is perfectly usable directly out of the camera and I would not hesitate to go higher if I needed to at any point.

5D Mark III w/ 16-35mm f/2.8 L II at 16mm f/5 1/160th ISO100

Despite not yet giving the autofocus as much of a work out as I want to, my initial impression is that it’s much better than I could ever have wished for, potentially even rivaling my 1D Mark IV’s! I am very glad Canon upgraded to the 61 Point AF System rather than keeping the very limited AF system of the older 5D’s which really only had one usable focus point! The Mark III comes with several specific AF menu options to optimize the tracking ability of the camera. In my testing it seems these work well as intended however the basic, all encompassing setting is also very good in most scenarios, I don’t think I will be using the specific modes unless shooting sports.

5D Mark III w/ 35mm f/1.4 L at f/1.8 1/800th ISO100. Shot from the hip in One Shot Autofocus, camera nailed it!

The camera takes on one of my favorite 1D features, the silent shooting mode, however it has been improved and now allows motor drive in the silent shooting mode, as I do a lot of street work this is something I foresee using a lot!

5D Mark III w/ 35mm f/1.4 L at f/2.8 1/80th ISO 1250. Also shot blindly, same AF settings.

The camera is also packed full of new features we have not seen on a Canon camera until now such as a viewfinder grid and digital spirit level which can be turned on at the touch of a button, automatic in camera HDR, a rating button and easily customizable button layout. None of which I knew I needed, however I can see them all getting more than their fair share of use. It is small features like these that really help the photographer save time and energy in the field or in postproduction.

5D Mark III w/ 16-35mm f/2.8 L II at 16mm f/5.6 - Hand held auto HDR from 3 exposures.

My only complaint about the 5D Mark III is the new method of zooming in to preview images. This is now done with a magnifying glass button on the left hand side and turning the top dial to zoom in or out. This however is only a minor complaint and I am sure I will get used to it over time, I did after all deal with the 1D Mark II’s button layout for over 3 years and navigating that camera was a nightmare!

Whilst it is important to remember the camera is still only a tool and there is not a lot the 5D Mark III can do that many other cameras on the market can’t, the Mark III simply makes everything feel much more natural, allowing the photographer to devote more energy towards creativity rather than working out how to convince the camera to do what you want!

5D Mark III w/ 135mm f/2 L at f/2 1/320th ISO 12,800

The biggest question I have been asked is, is it worth the $3,500 price tag? Well I can’t really answer that, everyone will feel a different way about spending so much on a camera. Suffice to say I don’t regret the purchase in the slightest and I can certainly see the 5D Mark III becoming my workhorse from now on!

5D Mark III w/ 50mm f/1.2 L at f1.4 1/30th ISO 3200. Even at this increased ISO there is still a good dynamic range, much nicer than all my previous cameras.

Ryan Lasek is an award winning freelance sports photographer in Columbia, Maryland. He has covered major international events including the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France as well as the Triple Crown Races. He enjoys covering college football and lacrosse for various media outlets and sports companies. Ryan’s images can be found on Sports Illustrated, Horse Illustrated, Equine Journal, Equiery magazine, children’s books, and calendars.
 

Developing a workflow is key to generating a routine to process your images that you capture through the camera.  A workflow that may work for myself may not necessarily work for every photographer.  Depending on whether you shoot portraits, sports, weddings or wildlife your workflow may be different.  I am primarily photographing sporting events, stock images, and portraits.

After experimenting for a few years with different methods to post process my images I have found a method that really works. Since most of my shooting involves a tight deadline, having a workflow that is clean and fast is the key to processing large batches of photos. Sports photographers know that if your not uploading during the game/race, half time, or just minutes after the game it’s too late!

There are many programs on the market that allow a photographer to post process images.  Below is a list of the most popular:

Programs:

Lightroom
Aperture
Camera Raw
Photoshop
Photo Mechanic

Personally for a few years I was using Adobe Lightroom. I would find that my mac would bog down when editing images. Lightroom would then freeze, lock up, and I noticed a major lag when toggling between images.  I increased the ram to the max on my mac in hopes this would fix the issue, this did not! Lightroom is a great program but not necessarily for the photographer on a tight deadline.

I was turned on to Photo Mechanic by Camera Bits.  The software ROCKS! The speed at which image previews are generated is astonishing compared to Lightroom.

Pros to Photo Mechanic:

Speed
Image Previews
Key Wording/ Meta Tagging
Code Replacement

Photo Mechanic is widely used by photojournalists who need to key word and caption every image transmitted to the wires and editors. This can also beneficial to a photographer who submits stock images to magazines or has a stock database.   PM allows a photographer to create code replacements before an event or game for fast captioning and editing during and after the event.  More on that later!

Now to my work flow!

1) Before the events and games I cover I will pull rosters and create the code replacements for the game/events. Also will generate the META Data (Caption, bylines, IPTC info). I will also create the folders where I will upload the images to from the camera cards.

(Above I open the IPTC Stationary Pad to caption and enter as much meta data as possible before the event and use the save feature to save it in the folder for that event)

2) Shoot the event- I Shoot in Raw mode most of the time.

3) After the event I upload the images to the folder that I created before hand, using PM I apply the IPTC DATA I save in step #1 and rename the photos. This will load all images with the IPTC DATA.  (I always name my photos with as much detail as possible. For example when I am covering  Syracuse v Hopkins Lacrosse, I would name the file mmddyyhopkinsbluejays_syracuseorangemen_lacrosse why all that you might ask? Everything we do as a photographer involves having images being searchable after the fact. Take a look at Google images, search any terms under the Google images option. Now download the first few images that you see. Look at the file name on those images! That is a big part of the images that are display near the top!

4)   After the images are loaded I quickly sort thorough the images and select the best of the best.  You can either color code the (SELECTS) OR TAG with the keyboard key (T).

5)   Once my favorite images have been selected I will open those images in Camera RAW, where I have created numerous presets for various shooting conditions (DAYLIGHT SUNNY, DAY CLOUDY, NIGHT HIGH ISO are a few examples)

6)   I apply the preset to all images and make any small adjustments needed to the images.

7)  I then save those images to a folder called selects.

8 )   There I will begin to update the captions and keywords for each image.

9)  Lastly I FTP the images to clients, editors and the wire.

Code Replacement

PM, allows a photographer to create code replacements to allow the photographer to caption and keyword images quickly.  Whether you are shooting football, auto racing, lacrosse, or golf you will save a tremendous amount of time taking advantage of this feature.  For example, you are covering a sports game where each team has 50 players. You shot 1000 images and the last thing you want to be doing after the game is typing each and every players name over and over. This is where you save  time! Instead of looking up each player’s name you create a code for them. There is no more looking up who is number 19 on Maryland. Simply create your prefix (so), enter \so19\ in the caption field and bada bing! Done, next photo please!  You can also create single word codes such as (gk) Goal Keeper. The key once again is to save the time and to have those images searchable on the net.

There are a few sites that offer the code replacement files to download as well as paid versions. The question is do you trust them and know they are 100% updated and current? Probably not. I have created a few different formulas in Microsoft Excel where I copy and past the rosters from a teams website to Microsoft Excel. Once the roster has been copied into excel, the formula that was created does most of the work for you. The last step to making sure the replacement codes work correctly is by copying them to a text file and loading it in PM. Sounds like a lot of work, but in reality this takes 2-3 mins to step up for a entire game which saves tremendous time when your post processing the images.

David Farkas of Red Dot Forum and Dale Photo & Digital traveled to Germany for the Leica’s May 10 Berlin event.

Ah, how I love Leica launch events. I’ve been to many such events over the years, but Leica somehow manages to make each one fun, entertaining and unique. The May 10 Berlin event was no different.

There was already a certain excitement in the air as I boarded the bus to take everyone from the Hotel Meliá to C/O Berlin where the Leica event was being held. The trip was surprisingly short, only a few minutes. We all filed out and, after all taking pictures of the front of the building (par for the course I suppose), headed inside. After being confirmed “on the list” I got a snazzy Leica USB bracelet with “Das Wesentliche” printed on it. This was my re-entry pass if I had to leave for any reason.

Continue reading and see more photos of the event on the Red Dot Forum.