Welcome to episode 42 of The Circle of Confusion, the professional photography podcast.
He’s back again.
We talk about the axing of Fuji Velvia again. Peter got himself a new camera, which has a Velvia button. Canon release their mirrorless camera, the EOS-M, but the design is not what we hoped for. Reuters News Agency are using camera on robotic frames to capture the Olympics. We talk about the leaking of camera info before the launch date: good or bad? And we talk about what we were up to this past week and the reason why the podcast is a day late.
To hear episode 42, hit the play button below. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes. We’d love it if you did.
Fuji Velvia gone again.
Fuji Velvia colour reversal film
Fujifilm has axed Velvia 100F in 35mm, 120 and 4×5 formats and Velvia 50 in 4×5 and 8×10 formats. You have until the end of the year before shipments will stop. So get your fridge stocked up while you can.
What is Velvia ? link here
Fuji Xpro1 Camera.
Peter bought himself a new camera, the Fuji Xpro1, in the airport on the way to Iceland. He used the trip to get to grips with the camera. Did he like the camera and is it the perfect camera? Two questions that are answered in the podcast. Listen to find out how he got on.
The Fuji Xpro1
Robo-cams for the Olympics
Reuters are using cameras mounted on robotic frames in positions not suitable for photographers to capture images from the Olympic games. No photographer in their right mind would be suspended in the air over the high jump, but with this setup they will capture the moments. Many be they will be using the video capability of the Canon DSLR also. We are looking forward to seeing the results when published.
Read the full story on the Reuters website. Link Here
The Leakage Question.
Is it good for camera companies to have their latest and greatest camera leaked to the media before the official launch day? We discuss this point with the help of a video from The Globe and Mail website. We can’t embed the video, so you will have to follow this LINK to watch the video.
The Canon EOS-M
Taken for Canon’s press release:
Canon today expands its award-winning EOS range with the launch of the new EOS M. The company’s first ever compact system camera (CSC), the EOS M is designed for those who use photography to share their everyday passions – from photographing family and friends, to fashion and culture, food, music and art. Offering DSLR-quality imaging, creative features and Full HD movie creation in a compact and easy-to-use model, the EOS M is the perfect, take-anywhere partner for a new breed of enthusiasts who chronicle their lives through images, without necessarily considering themselves to be ‘photographers’.
The full spec can be found here.
Canon EOS – M Camera
And finally we talk about Peter’s Icelandic trip, Rogers commercial shoot and my Peoples Photography meeting.
Not forgetting photographers Daragh Muldowney :fund:it project book “Jewellery Box- Ireland’s Hidden Gems”
Just in case you want to know the:
Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. LOOK Here
FREE SEGMENT FROM DYNAMIC RANGE EPISODE 2
We produced an abundance of great content for episode 2 of Dynamic Range. We can’t possibly include it all, so we’ve decided to give you an entire segment for free here. It’s offered in full HD, and will play automatically at HD resolution in full screen mode. If your broadband connection is having trouble with that, click the little gear icon near the bottom right of the player to choose a lower res.
If you like it, why not buy the full episode? It’s available here: Dynamic Range Episode 2.
What do you think?
As ever, we’d love to hear your views and get your feedback.
Disagree, agree or have a completely different take on what we’ve discussed? Please get in touch by leaving a comment or emailing us at mailbag@circleofconfusion.ie.
Also, if you see or know something you think we’d be interested in discussing on the blog, we’d love to hear from you too.
Blatant plug for our wares
Don’t forget, you can purchase episodes of our landscape photography video series Dynamic Range for just €9.95 each, and as a bonus, the pilot episode is just €4.95! You’ll receive the download link via email as soon as you’ve completed the purchase.
ARE PHOTOS ART?
I thought of you guys this morning while reading an article on Luminous Landscape. It was by Alain Briot (whose articles seem to be rather self-serving but, I guess that’s what it is all about).
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/why_personal_style_is_important.shtml
He was saying that there are millions of digital cameras and as many photographers. The new “cameras and software automate nearly all the technical aspects of photography” thereby enabling “all the photographers to take a technically adequate photograph”. The only differences will be “the angle of view, or the camera we used, or some other minor differences”.
His whole thrust was that one must “acquire a personal style. Why? Because personal style is based on art, not on technique. Art is the only thing a machine (cameras) or software cannot do. This is because art is the outcome of your emotional response to the subject, not the result of a technical process”. Briot believes that photographers must “… focus on the artistic aspects of photography…” When I read that I thought of MonoNeil. He certainly has a personal style. He previsualizes a scene and applies his magic through the technology at his command to produce stunning works of art.
Briot implies a bifurcation – some photos are art and some are not. But, among those photographers who don’t have a personal style there may be some who think their photos are art because of the wonderful colors or some other such thing. Who is going to tell them their work is really not art, Alain Briot? Who is the final arbiter of what is art?
I keep going back to that old saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. If someone sees their work as art, it’s fine with me even though I may or may not agree.
Is the “difference between us and other photographers” really the “artistic content of our work” as Briot says?
It sounds like the gloves might be coming off for this next podcast, so I’ll pose the question based on Rich’s reference to Neil’s photography being art. Yes, it’s truely lovely photography, but that doesn’t automatically make it art. Sorry, don’t mean to pick on your work Neil, just following on from Rich’s point.
Cheers
Mark
Thanks Mark for your comment, and your right lovely photography doesn’t make it Art.