This is a video that is worth taking the time to watch.

The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities.
But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by Press Pause Play, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world's most influential creators of the digital era.

So perhaps this video asks us:

"since we have come to know the 'democratization of digital media' due to the proliferation of the digital tools are we to accept the overwhelming level of mediocrity in the works currently being produced or are we up to the challenge of learning to master the new tools of our age?"

And more importantly: "If everyone is: a Photographer, a Director/Producer, a Musician, were is the value in what is produced?"

Please feel free to add your comments below.

Canon EOS C300 now available for pre-order at B&H

links for EF & PL mounts:
Canon EOS C300 EF mount
Canon EOS C300 PL mount

And for lenses:
Canon CN-E 14.5-60mm T2.6 L S Cinema Zoom Lens with EF Mount

Canon CN-E 14.5-60mm T2.6 L SP Cinema Zoom Lens with PL Mount

Canon CN-E 30-300mm T2.95-3.7 L S EF Mount Cinema Zoom Lens

Canon CN-E 30-300mm T2.95-3.7 L SP PL Mount Cinema Zoom Lens

JVC used the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as the launching pad for its new GY-HMQ10, a handheld camcorder that captures and records at 4K, or four times the resolution of 1080p HD (3840x2160), using a 1/2-inch CMOS imager with 8.3 million active pixels. It has a non-interchangeable f2.8 10x zoom lens with optical image stabilization, a color viewfinder, and a 3.5-inch touch-screen LCD monitor. The camera records 4K images at 24p, 50p and 60p, and also supports 1080i and 1080/60p HD.

The HMQ10 uses JVC's Falconbrid LSI-chip to de-Bayer the image in real time, allowing live 4K monitoring or projection (live 4K output is enabled using four HDMI terminals). It records up to two hours of AVCHD video to SDHC or SDXC memory cards at a bit rate of up to 144 Mbps.

JVC said the camera's HD capabilities were added as a result of "4K forums" it held last year, where customers also suggested it should be easy to crop images to HD resolution from the full 4K picture. That feature, known as "trimming," is available using the HMQ1's touch-screen LCD.

The camera has manual audio level controls, a built-in stereo microphone, and two balanced XLR jacks with phantom power on the handle. 
Don't expect the HMQ10 to be JVC's last word on 4K — certainly not for the professional market, though the XLR inputs should extend this camera's usability out of the pure consumer realm. The company promised more 4K news throughout 2012, which we suspect will include some NAB announcements. The HMQ10 ships in March.

Free Webinar

Two sessions are available:
Wednesday, January 11th

Session One - 9 AM Pacific Time Register Here
(10 AM Mountain, 11 AM Central, 12 PM Eastern, 5 PM GMT)

Session Two - 11 AM Pacific Time Register Here
(12 PM Mountain, 1 PM Central, 2 PM Eastern, 7 PM GMT)

Join Vincent Versace, best selling author and internationally recognized pioneer in the art and science of digital photography for this webinar co-sponsored by X-Rite and Nik Software. "Oz to Kansas: The Black and White on Black and White Conversions" is the evolution of thought that began with the chapter in his first book "Welcome to Oz: From Oz to Kansas. How to convert an Image to Black and White Without Ever Leaving the RGB Color Space." This webinar takes a practical applications approach to when, why and how to convert an image. In it, you will learn which methods give you the best results and when to choose a simple or a complex solution.

Some of the topics covered in this class are:
- The only soup to nuts overview of the Silver Efex Plug-in. How to use it and when.
- The importance of color management particularly to black and white.
- When and why you should and should not use global de-saturation.
- Split Channel conversions - what they are good for and a way to get the same effect with a file two thirds the size.
- When to use the Black and White adjustment layer to bring out and separate the tones in a color image.
- Multiple Channel mixer black and white conversions that replicate the physics of film.
- What is "Faux-infrared" and a look at how to convert files to black and white from digital cameras that have been modified to shoot Infrared.
- When and how to most efficiently use the Gradient tool for black and white conversion.

Who should attend this webinar:
- Photographers who enjoy black and white photography
- Digital photographers who want to understand black and white conversions
- Anyone who wants to print black and white images

Learn more about Vincent Versace at versacephotography.com.
We hope to see you there!

18 years ago today I moved to NYC with 2 backpacks and $1800.00 in my pocket.

More about this when I get back from shooting.

TESTING PHOTOGRAPHERS JANUARY SPECIAL $500.

http://suite201.blogspot.com

LEICA CAMERA ANNOUNCES S2 FIRMWARE UPDATE FW 1.0.2.0
Latest update supports the Leica Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH wide-angle lens
 
Solms, Germany (December 19, 2011) - Leica Camera AG continues its commitment to the ongoing development of the Leica S medium format system with a new firmware update, FW 1.0.2.0. This fifth firmware update is specially developed for the use of the camera with the new Leica Elmarit-S 30 mm f/2.8 ASPH. wide-angle lens, ensuring optimum functionality of the lens on the Leica S2 body. Registered S users wishing to bring their camera up-to-date can download the firmware update from the “Owners Area” on the Leica website and take advantage of the latest improvements.
 
The fastest medium format lens in this focal length, the Leica Elmarit-S 30 mm f/2.8 ASPH is now available from Leica dealers. As a result of its wide angle of view and large maximum aperture, this wide-angle lens opens up a multitude of new opportunities for creative composition, particularly in the fields of interior, architectural, landscape and available-light photography. Thanks to its outstanding imaging performance from close focus to infinity at all apertures and brilliant color rendition, the Leica Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH guarantees perfect results in a wide range of photographic situations.
 
About the Leica S2
The Leica S-System is a revolutionary digital camera concept to meet supreme professional requirements. With a resolution of 37.5 megapixels, the S2’s 30 x 45mm CCD sensor features an aspect ratio of 3:2 and an area nearly 60% larger than that of a traditional 35mm camera, resulting in stunning image quality. The S2’s full range of features includes autofocus, high-speed MAESTRO image processor, highly durable design and optimal size and ease-of-use for professional photographers.

Solms, Germany (December 16, 2011) - Leica Camera AG announces the release of a new firmware update for the Leica D-Lux 5. Users wishing to bring their camera up-to-date can now download the firmware update and an installation guide from the ‘UPDATES’ section of the D-Lux 5 page on the Leica Camera website.

This new firmware offers D-Lux 5 users the following updates:

• Improved autofocus speed in the wide-angle domain
• Enhanced functionality when using manual and automatic focusing
• Increased automatic white-balance precision in adverse lighting conditions
• High-ISO-noise reduction for ISO 1600 and ISO 3200
• Incorporation of an ‘Active mode’ for image stabilization and new ‘Miniature effect’ in the ‘My colors’ mode (available for photo and video modes)
• Continuous autofocus with the shutter button half depressed
• Increased longest shutter speed from 60 to 250 seconds
• Addition of manual adjustment of the LCD monitor and the external viewfinder to the camera settings menu

About the Leica D-Lux 5

The Leica D-Lux 5 is a true representation of the Leica design vocabulary and philosophy. Its flat, smooth and uncluttered design ensures its timelessly modern look. The Leica DC Vario-Summicron 5.1-19.2 mm f/2-3.3 ASPH. offers a faster lens than previous models and a zoom with an extremely practical range of focal lengths. Furthermore, the 10.1 mega-pixel D-Lux 5 guarantees exceptional image quality and superb sharpness while its intuitive controls ensure ease of use. Its 720-pixel HD-video function in memory-saving AVCHD-Lite format and optional accessories make the D-Lux 5 the perfect camera for capturing truly distinctive images.

Leica Camera Announces S-Magazine iPad Application

Leica Camera invites users to experience the recently launched S-Magazine application for the Apple iPad. Those who download this complimentary application can view a digital copy of S-Magazine, a new publication allowing professional photographers to share contemporary photographic ideas. Editorial portfolios and current advertising campaigns by prominent international photographers as well information on the latest trends in commercial photography are also offered. 

The new S-Magazine application provides yet another platform for photographers to present work shot with the Leica S-System to a broad international audience. This new iPad application is available through iTunes and perfectly supplements the print version of S-Magazine as well as www.S-League.net, Leica Camera’s new online portal for S Photographers.

Mike Tyson

Everyone has an opinion about Mike, most are not good.

When I got the call from the NYTimes Magazine that they wanted me to photograph Mike Tyson, my first thoughts were of self preservation. It so happened that the call in when I was on set photographing David Blaine, also for the Times Magazine. Of course I said something to David, and it turned out that he and Mike were friends. Even weirder, that David Blaine, Mike Tyson and Michael Jackson were all friends. Go figure. Word was Mike was a total sweetheart, I had nothing to worry about, which is not something I took to heart, as Mike had just eaten a man’s ear on live television.

My assistant and I fly to Maui to meet Mike at his training camp. The first thing is that we have to attend a “media session”. This is when Mike’s PR people (can you imagine doing PR for Mike Tyson?) laid out the ground rules for what was cool and what was not. This was not really meant for us, but more for the 20 or so TV teams that were there. The short version was just keep it to boxing and stay out of Mike’s private life. Yea, right.

Our session was scheduled for the next day, after the TV interviews, which took place every 10 feet or so going around a large banquet room. Everything is fine, Mike going from station to station talking boxing until he gets to the FOX Sports station. They of course are the only ones with a female reporter. The first thing out of her mouth is ” Why do you hate women?”. It escalates from there and within a couple of minutes Mike is screaming, fist raised, quite seriously going to kill the woman. Only 2 very big very strong guys are saving her life. She had been sent there to bait Mike, so that FOX could get a circus moment on the evening news. Mike gave it to them in spades.

Knowing that I was in the very near future going to be inches away from one of the most dangerous men on planet, who was now mad as a hornet, was not a particularly comforting thought. Bad of me I know, but at that moment I was thinking it was a shame about those two big handlers being there to restrain Tyson.

Back to the hotel, we wait and practice what we will be setting up. The call may come at anytime. I was on the phone with Kathy at the Times letting her know the situation. For some reason, they had me pegged as the go to guy for the dangerous, the felonious and the transgressives. Some other lucky photographer was pegged as the movie star shooter, me, I get the toughies.

The call comes in at noon the next day. We were given directions to Mike’s secret training facility. The scene was disconcerting. From the fighting ring, which has been set up in a closed building, we hear loud rap music and the occasional thump of pain. The area outside is littered with huge bleeding men, sitting in stunned silence. I get a glimpse of the Mike boxing. He hits a one of these monsters in the gut with an uppercut and lifts him off the ground. We are talking a 300lb guy. Terrifying.

The writer comes out to say hi mentioning Mike is in a foul mode from the day before. To work it off, he was training particularly hard and had already thrown up once that day. This is not good, not good at all.

About 2 hours and half dozen bleeding monsters later, Mike comes out walking straight towards me followed by a phalanx of handlers. I go directly up to him, show him a polaroid of what we are doing, and tell him this is for the NY Times Magazine. First thing I notice is that Mike has a rather high pitched voice, the second is that he is quick to smile. My anxiety level is reduced from near death experience code red to something more like normal pre-shoot anxiety. But Mike doesn’t want to shoot the picture at the training camp. Because it is the Times, he wants to look sharp, get his hair cut and clean up. Off to Mike’s seaside condo to set up again, a new problem enters my mind. We need to be on an 8pm flight out that night to be in Paris for another job the following day.

We setup and the first thing Mike does is start running his ” I am a very bad man” rap on me. This was a test, but happening 3 feet away it was a very scary test. My adrenals surging, I reach out, slap Mike on the shoulder and say ” Come on Mike, you’re not so bad”. Suddenly the whole vibe changes, I passed the test, and Mike thinks I am ok. Slapping Mike Tyson when not knowing what will happen, is on a fear level with blind bungee jumping. Turns out, Mike is great, super nice and chatty guy. The man is fascinated with world politics. We talk about Mao, about Che, about Osama and Bush. I discover he is covered with political tattoos. Who knew? What strikes me as most unusual about Mike is that he really wants people to think he is worse than he is. Anyone else I have ever photographed, killers to movie stars to politicos, always want me to think they are better than they are. We do 2 setups, quickly, very quickly. At the very end I see Mike in his boxing trunks cradling his 6 month old daughter. A shockingly tender moment, a picture I knew would be worth a lot, and one that I knew he would let me take. But I passed. Somethings are better left alone, and after seeing the FOX baiting, Mike’s private moment with his kid seemed like one of those. The whole shoot took about 30 minutes, then STP, straight to plane.

The lesson I have learned from years of doing portraits is that the bad guys are never that bad and the good guys are never that good. Everyone is somewhere in that grey murky area in the center.

Posts from Blog: David Harry Stewart, Photographer/Director for 12/15/2011

Copyright (C) 2011 *David Harry Stewart|* All rights reserved. Used by permission

While I rarely stray from posting photo related information

I came upon this and thought it was an interesting interview and a timely one.

You can find the original post here: http://www.dunnbooks.com

Multiple Off-Camera Flash

In The Studio and On Location with PocketWizard

LIVE VIDEO SEMINAR:
Join host Joe Brady as he shows how to put PocketWizard Radio Triggers to use firing multiple off-camera flash units in both studio and environmental on-location portraits. With the addition of the easy to use AC3 ZoneController, you can instantly control and adjust up to three flash zones to create beautiful portrait lighting ratios using both TTL and manual modes – right from the top of your camera!

During this live online video seminar, Joe will show how to take control of light with multiple flash units both alone and with different light shaping tools. Using the Live Chat function available to all viewers, Joe will answer questions from the audience live on the studio set.

Mark your calendar for 1PM Eastern Time on December 13th to see the power of TTL photography and the control of manual flash together so that you can decide which approach will best provide the results you want.

Please note that there is no pre-registration. Simply go to this page on December 13th at 1PM EST and enter your E-Mail address, Postal Code and Country and the live streaming video will begin!

Date: December 13th
Time: 1pm Eastern, 12pm Central, 11am Mountain, 10am Pacific