DANIELLA ZALCMAN . PHOTOGRAPHER

From L1GHTB1TES

New York + London 52, 2013
Our lives are surrounded, flooded by images. All of these images have an impact on us, but only a few of them register consciously and give you that ‘aha’ sensation. Daniella’s New York + London did just that to me: there’s some playful immediacy about them, you’re drawn into a game of trying to guess where they were taken. At the same time, many of them take you floating above these cities, showing you the world from a dreamy, lonely, god-like perspective.
GL: How did you discover your method of digital double exposure?
DZ: I basically had no experience with double exposures before this project, outside of accidental composites in my film photography. A few weeks before I moved to London I stumbled across the Image Blender app and thought it was kind of fun, and so when I came up with the idea for New York + London it just clicked.
daniella zalcmann ny:lnd 1All of the photos for my New York + London project were taken very casually — in New York, they were taken with a twinge of nostalgia as I was preparing to pack up and move, and London they were taken through the eyes of a tourist, essentially, in my new home. None of the images were taken with composites or specific pairings in mind — that all happened organically. For this specific double exposure, the New York photo was taken while on an assignment for the Wall Street Journal on the 100th anniversary of Grand Central Terminal, and the London image was taken just around the corner from my flat in Pimlico.
GL: With street and documentary photography we all have our methods of being (almost) always ready to take a picture. How would you compare your own attitudes and strategies when you’re shooting film, digital or on a smartphone?
DZ: My attitudes differ pretty dramatically depending on whether I’m working with film, a DSLR, or an iPhone. With medium format film I’m slow and thoughtful, with my DSLR I’m a little trigger-happy. The iPhone is somewhere in between — because it’s such an informal medium, I tend not to overthink framing and composition, which can be surprisingly freeing.
18My phone is almost always in my hand. It’s a horrible habit (born of spending many years as a spot news photojournalist in New York City and always being on call in the event of… pretty much anything), but it means I’m always ready. For New York + London I was a little less in street photography hunting mode because so many of these images are architectural and, thankfully, buildings are a little more forgiving than people.

 

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The dos (and don’t) of summer photography

Phil Daoust on The Guardian Photography pages has hints and tips that he could have stolen from us at OSP Towers, as he didn’t and he has written them up with such clear prose we recommend you head over there and find out how to do it

The sun is out which means it’s time to get snap-happy. With a bit of know how and some advice from the pros, you too can take striking images……Summer’s here! At least it was when this guide went to press, though anything could have happened in the few days since. Still, the holiday season is definitely upon us, so here are a few dos (and one don’t) to help you take better photographs, whether you’re using a £1,000 SLR, a £100 point-and-shoot, or the camera built into your smartphone…..Read the article here

 

Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos

Photographers to launch digital light meter

From Olivier Laurent at The BJP

A group of photographers and developers has created a new digital light meter that plugs into an iPhone and uses the device to give accurate light measurements

Lumu Labs has created what it calls the “light meter for the 21st Century” – the Lumu, a device that plugs into an iPhone’s headphone jack to give accurate light readings with the help of a dedicated application.

“We were just a bunch of photographers, totally annoyed by the current selection of light meters on the market,” says Luka Mali of Lumu Labs. “You know the feeling: walking home, rain is pouring and that lame excuse called an umbrella that should supposedly keep you dry. And it’s the same with light meters: they’re huge, unpractical, archaic and cost way too much. We decided to change that – by connecting our beautiful digital light sensor without batteries to your iPhone. And using its brain and connectivity to bring some features never seen in light meters before.”
Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2275493/photographers-hope-to-launch-digital-light-meter#ixzz2Wf4Qwrwp
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A year in the life of That Tree,

You are interested in photography, you wouldn’t be here on this blog if you weren’t so how often do you take  pictures? There are many places that encourage you to take a picture a day but sometimes you don’t feel inspired to go and find something worth photographing, Mark Hirsch got around this by choosing one subject, a tree. How easy is that, you could do the same surely. He only had a camera phone, what could you achieve with your expensive camera?

Using only his iPhone, photographer Mark Hirsch spent a year documenting an ancient Bur Oak Tree and posting a photo a day on Facebook.

January 20, 2012 – An awesome tree in a field I drive by on every trip to town. Shrouded in today’s snowstorm, I felt compelled to hike out and grab a photo of it. This was the first time I ever used the camera in my iPhone. Seems my iPhone camera has inspired me to capture those scenes I’ve previously captured only in my minds eye! That Tree is an ancient Bur Oak growing on the edge of a cornfield near Platteville, WI.

Day 189, September 28, 2012. A colorful leaf on that tree is illuminated by the setting sun against a blue sky at dusk.

Day 111 July 12. Visiting from Henderson, CO, I had a fun time early this morning introducing Lora Kohnlein and her sons Duggan and Patrick to that tree. The boys and I climbed the tree, examined dozens of bugs and discussed the finer points of the video game angry birds. Thanks boys for inspiring me to see things like a kid again!

Day 116 July 17, 2012. Clinging to its bark, an interesting resident of that tree and it’s surrounding habitat glows in a shaft of sunlight.

Day 101, July 2, 2012. In a timed exposure captured on an iPhone 4S using the iPhone app SlowShutter, the flight paths of  fireflies leave yellow brush strokes as they fly in and around That Tree at dusk. That Tree is an ancient Bur Oak growing on the edge of a cornfield near Platteville, WI.

So go and have a look at the rest of his pictures here and then ask yourself why you haven’t done something similar, you are supposed to be interested in photography

 

Shooting from the Hipstamatic

Award-winning photojournalist Antonio Olmos recalls how he unlocked his iPhone’s app-titude on a trip to the city of Derry writes in The Guardian

A mural commemorating 1969’s Battle of the Bogside

Reluctance has been one of the themes of my career. I began shooting on black-and-white film and would have been happy for things to stay that way. I remember my reluctance to shoot in colour as more publications began demanding it. Next, I was asked to digitally scan my negatives rather than submit prints. Then they asked me to shoot digital images – and it took me a long time to accept that the quality of digital images equalled that of film.

Now along comes the smartphone. Like the first digital cameras, the quality of the first smartphone shots was awful. But they kept improving, and soon I was snapping most of my family photos with the iPhone; it was liberating not to be burdened with a professional SLR on outings. As the image quality improved, I was soon doing street photography projects on the iPhone; I could see that its various photo apps created opportunities to tell stories in a new visual way. writes Antonio Olmos…..

One of the problems I have with creative photographic processes and smartphone photo filters is that they are nostalgic, and place the aesthetic over the content. They also seem to surrender a large part of the creative process to the camera program……in the end, the only thing that matters is the final photograph; how one reached it is not so important.

Read the full article in the Guardian here

the Hipstamatic Tintype app captures the wintry light of Bogside, Derr

Photojournalist launches watermark app for iPhone photos

As told to Olivier Laurent at the BJP. Photojournalist John D McHugh has released a watermarking app on the iPhone in a bid to root out copyright theft on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram……..

“I developed the Marksta app because I was tired of people stealing my work on the web,” says Marksta’s founder, John D McHugh, a photojournalist best known for his work in Afghanistan. “I often work in incredibly dangerous situations to show the world the stark realities of war and revolution. I can’t describe how frustrating it is to find my images online without any credit or byline.”

 Rather than fight what can’t be fought, he says, “I’ve tried to adapt my thinking to the cold hard reality that as soon as I post a photograph online it will be copied, shared and posted around the world. If I want people to know it’s mine, whether for payment or just kudos, I see no way other than to write my name on it.”

To do so, McHugh enlisted the help of a developer to create an iPhone app that would streamline the process of adding a watermark to images.….MORE

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2233605/photojournalist-launches-watermarking-app-on-the-iphone#ixzz2IiVZnSBp
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The Smart Threat: How mobile phones are forcing camera manufacturers to evolve

From Olivier Laurent at the BJP a very interesting article plotting the advances in smartphone camera technology and the response by camera manufacturers.

The rising popularity of smartphones is now forcing traditional camera manufacturers to reassess their strategies by offering devices that can, for example, connect to the internet easily. Nikon, for example, released the S800c, a compact camera powered by Google’s Android system, which allows users to download applications that can help email and share images on social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Flickr….A few years ago, the Nikon and Canon brands used to dominate the charts on Flickr’s Camera Finder, which tracks the most-used cameras on the image-sharing website. But since the release of Apple’s iPhone, as well as many other smartphones by the likes of HTC and Samsung, camera phones have taken over. Last month, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 were ahead of Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II and 550D, with compact cameras failing to appear in the top 10 of the most-used cameras on Flickr..…MORE

Samsung’s Galaxy Camera offers 3G, 4G and Wifi connectivity and is powered by the latest version of Android, making it a truly connected camera.

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/report/2228796/the-smart-threat-how-mobile-phones-are-forcing-camera-manufacturers-to-evolve#ixzz2IiTk1Roy
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Steve McCurry app

If you have an iphone or ipad then get this app. It is a collection of Steve’s most memorable portraits and a video of the great man talking about his work. Not only will it help you to kill those bored moments it will also improve your photography just by getting you to look at great photographs every so often

Here is the link you need

Whilst you are at the app store you might also want to check out the excellent Fotopedia Women here is a link to that

you should also have a look at the Fotopedia Heritage, a whole library of pictures from heritage sites around the world. Going somewhere interesting check out what you will see there, even better upload your own pictures here is the link for that

Slow a new ebook from Craft and Vision

We really like the Craft and Vision ebooks, incredibly cheap £3.25 ($5), for such useful and inspiring books, beautifully illustrated and absolutely hit the marks for people who are photographers, those interested in photography rather than just those who happen to own a camera. If you like taking pictures then all of the Craft & Vision books would add to your skill and vision.

Looking to explore the creative possibilities behind the slow end of the shutter dial? Looking for some new ideas, or want a primer on intentional camera motion, panning, long exposure techniques, and the equipment to help you make it happen? SLOW is an excellent place to begin.

Andrew S. Gibson’s SLOW is 64 spreads of teaching and inspiration on the techniques and aesthetics of using a slow shutter to create expressive images skillfully captured through exposure and movement. To complement his own work, Andrew also includes two case studies from photographers Doug Chinnery and Joel Tjintjelaar, which help to provide tangible insights on the subject of long-exposure photographyGet further details on this new book here

Other books in the series include these titles

This is an inspiring and beautiful eBook that teaches just about everything David’s learned about landscape photography while chasing the light across seven continents. As a landscape eBook for all levels, photographers will find the education and inspiration to make beautiful photographs of their own, no matter what adventure awaits them.

This massive eBook boasts 65 spreads (130 pages if you’re still counting the old way,) is broken down into sections on Gear, Composition, Light, Land, Water, Snow, and Detail Shots, and is accompanied by large, beautiful photographs, all with complete EXIF data, many of them previously unseen, from travels on all seven continents. There’s also Behind the Shot sections that discuss topics like exposure blending, maximizing sharpness, using ND and polarizer filters, and shooting in weather, like fog. Whether you’re new to landscape photography or looking to hone your craft this eBook will be a valuable and inexpensive addition to your library.

Portraits of Earth An Introduction to Landscape Photography David duChemin

Your camera phone is always with you, and whether you’re an amateur or vocational photographer, it only makes sense to know how to use it to your advantage. eyePhone: Making Stronger Photographs with your Camera Phone is a stunning 45-page PDF eBook, full of inspired insights, invaluable tips, creative considerations, and must-have resources to help you take your photography, and creative life, to the next level.

Whether you shoot and process hundred of images each month or you just take the casual snapshot, you’ll discover exciting ideas and concepts that are sure to turn your camera phone image gallery into a portfolio you’re proud of. This is a game-changer for photographers. It’s photography that fits in your pocket and the avid photographer will benefit from knowing how to wield its potential.

“Thanks to Al Smith I learned more about the camera on my iPhone in 10-minutes than I had in two years. My iPhone has made me a better photographer.” – David duChemin

eyePhone Making Stronger Photographs with your Camera Phone Al Smith

There are more than 30 excellent ebooks in this series and discounts available for multiple purchases might be the best £3.25 you ever spent on your photography, see the full series of ebooks here

Damascus – life interrupted – Our Man In Damascus – John Wreford

Our great friend John Wreford is still in his house in the old city in Damascus, he no longer feels safe enough to walk the streets with his camera but he writes for Your Middle East, here is his latest article

The universal image of washing  © John Wreford

The image of washing blowing in the breeze is as universal an image as you will find anywhere in the world, an image of the everyday, domesticity, perhaps an indication of the less well off or working class, a sign of daily life, of family, his overalls, the kids school uniform.

Syria is not so different, in the villages you see the colours flapping in the wind although not so much in the city, maybe on the roof or in the courtyard but more often than not hanging on the balcony hidden from view by a curtain, modesty dictates underwear is not supposed to be on public display. I am not sure why the subject gets my attention other than my natural inquisitiveness of the human condition, I like to photograph people, I like to understand how they live, for sure it’s not a fetish, the souk of al Hamadiyya would surely satisfy that with its gaudy penchant for titillation, risqué lingerie juxtaposed alongside hijab.

Wandering the streets of Damascus without my camera doesn’t stop my eye from being drawn to the subjects that interest me most: its people and their lives. They are going about their business as best they can, some would have us believe as normal, well for the most part shop and office are open and the streets are busy but we all know it’s not normal and that in fact it’s quite terrible, on a good day the sound of the traffic and its incessant honking will drown out the sound of the helicopter gunships or the shelling in the suburbs, the checkpoints tend to fade away in many places during the day, we all know terrorists only come out after dark, the devil though is said to be in the details and it’s the washing that catches my eye. READ MORE HERE

John wrote an earlier diary piece for the Your Middle East

Syrian security forces taking position in the Al-Midan district of Damascus on July 18
An image grab taken from Syrian TV shows Syrian security forces taking position during armed clashes with gunmen who the TV called “terrorists” (unseen) in the Al-Midan district of Damascus on July 18. For the first time in decades, the eve of Ramadan in Syria’s capital is overshadowed by fear. Panic has engulfed the city amid unprecedented combat after a bombing killed three top officials. © AFP/SYRIAN TV/File

A warm summer evening sitting in a central Damascus restaurant overlooking the city, the mountain of Qasyun lit like a Christmas tree, we were under no illusion all was well in Syria. But here in the capital life went on almost as usual. We discussed how things the last week or so had calmed down, then for a moment we paused for thought, the calm before the storm perhaps.

No more than a few days later the storm well and truly blew into town. For months, the opposition and regime had been battling each other in the outer suburbs of Damascus. The sounds of shelling and artillery echoed across the city, peaceful protestors were still coming out in large numbers, more and more clashes could be heard, but by and large everything tended to take place in certain areas.

It was pretty well known that the Free Syrian Army had been moving into Damascus and was encamped in the more militant neighbourhoods such as Midan and Kfra Souseh. But many of us felt able to go about life as usual despite knowing that sooner or later things would change. From Sunday we felt that change. The war had been on the doorstep but was now passing over the threshold, more explosions, more shooting, the awful sounds moving closer and closer, the continuous drone of helicopters that had become a regular feature over recent weeks.

Where I live in the Old City between Bab Touma and Bab Salam, ancient houses in a warren of alleyways, things were calm, children playing in the streets and many preparing for Ramadan. I would sit on my roof early morning and in the evening, able to get more of a fix on where the sounds of gunfire may be coming from. I can see very little, four large satellite dishes prostrated toward Mecca have seen to that. Monday through Tuesday the fighting became more intense, my house shook as a helicopter was shot down in Qaboun and at one point a couple of stray bullets whizzed through the air above my head, the sound like an email being despatched from an iPhone. The explosions and gunfire continued all through the night. READ MORE HERE

If we believed in a god, and let’s face it the evidence is all to the contrary, we would pray for John’s safety, as it is we trust in his good sense and innate humanity, he is in our thoughts, if you want to see more of his work have a look here