Lost in Fidel's Cuba

 In this issue:

• A7R VI ebook - pre-order yours now at a discount!
• Uganda Update
• Lost in Fidel's Cuba

Sony A7R VI Ebook

I've received a large number of emails asking if I'll be working on a new book covering the new 67 megapixel Sony A7R VI, including the new features and the new menu system (and another reason they needed to introduce a new battery).  The answer is YES.  Mine is already on order and I'll start as soon as it arrives.  If all goes well it will be finished by early August if not sooner.  

You can pre-order your copy at a 10% discount here.

Uganda Update

Last week I contacted Dr. Schiff, the subject of my ongoing project documenting his work in Uganda.  I asked him if the samples he and his team took out in the field had arrived at Yale for analysis yet.  The answer is yes, and he adds "The samples we collected are proving rather incredible. Evidence of the pathogenic Paenibacillus bacteria in soil, cow milk, and … many fish."

So now the question isn't "How is the bacterium getting into these infants?", it's more like "Why isn't EVERYONE getting infected??"  And time is of the essence, since cases have already begun to show up in the U.S. and nobody knows how or the best way to treat it.

I'll have more to say about this story in a future blog post.  Stay tuned.

Lost in Fidel's Cuba

Cuba has been in the news a lot recently; now seems a good time to tell the story of my visit there two decades ago.

All my life I had heard that Cuba was a photographer’s playground.  But the only pictures I ever saw from Cuba were from Havana, its largest city.  What was the rest of Castro’s Cuba like?  

I found out in 2006, when I had an opportunity to travel to the Northeastern corner of the island with others who had been there before and knew many of the locals.  We flew directly into the city of Holguin, and spent two weeks in a tiny rental car, traveling on dirt roads going from village to village, making friends and taking pictures and delivering much-needed medical supplies.   An ideal trip!! (As always, click on any image to view larger and sharper.)

With me were my 6 MP Konica Minolta 7D (Minolta's first DSLR), 11-18mm, 24-105mm, and 100-300mm APO lenses, and another trusty camera – my Konica Minolta A2 – as a backup.  

Your Photographic Legacy

 

Last month I gave a new Zoom lecture for a geneology club entitled "Preserving Your Ancestors' Pictures".  It went into a lot of interesting subjects that most of the attendees were unaware of (many of which were touched upon in this blog post from 2018, and I also discussed data preservation techniques I wrote about in this blog post from 2014 about digital bit rot).  

The last part of that talk showed off some of the new capabilities of generative AI programs (the same programs that will ultimately erode trust in what you see and poison all of the internet, making anything on the internet wholely untrustworthy.)  But until that happens, you can use programs like Google's Nano Banana Pro or Remini.ai to clean up old images.  Below are some impressive examples I gave from the talk (click on any image to view larger and sharper):

Making an Award-winning Movie on $0 Budget

Also in this issue:

• Sony Problem Solving Guide - Free!
• I was a Judge

Sony Problem Solving Guide - Free!

Five years ago, Sony Artisan of Imagery Mark Galer and I teamed up to create a free troubleshooting guide for Sony Alpha cameras.  

A lot has changed since then, which is why we have teamed up once again to update the guide and, as before, are giving it away for free.  Tell your friends!

You can visit Mark's website at www.markgaler.com for a large variety of free resources, as well as subscribing to Mark's Patreon page.  

Making an Award-winning Movie on $0 Budget

Let's say you were a filmmaker during Covid.  You and your future co-star were quarrantining in a cabin in the woods.  And you had a Sony A7 III, one microphone, one LED light, but no budget and no crew.  But you still wanted to make that psychological thriller / horror film that's been on your mind for years.

Well, that movie has been made, and it's already won some awards!  Before I get to the interview with the filmmaker and the stars (and all of the tribulations involved in making a film in such conditions), have a look at the trailer for the movie.  (This has a lot more about the movie as well - the video here will give you a good taste of it.)

The Friedman Archives Helps Solve a Mystery

Also in this issue:

• A7 V book is out in all formats!
• 
  The most complex camera ever made
• The Airplane Workstation

The A7 V book is out in all formats!

A few weeks ago the book on the A7 V - all 885 pages of technical goodness - was released in all formats: printed in color or B&W, and the 3-file bundle (.pdf, .epub, and .azw3 compatible with all e-readers).  If you haven't already you can purchase all formats here.  Get yours now!

The Friedman Archives Helps Solve a Mystery

If you grew up in the U.S. in the 1960's, you'd be familiar with the huge fiberglass "Muffler Man" statues across the country, advertising everything from tires to mufflers, or other items promoting various roadside businesses.

The statues are no longer made, but there are diehard fans who like to catalog and track down the giant statues that remain. 

So where do the archives come in?  A few months ago I received a query from one such diehard fan, asking about a picture I took back in 1981 which featured one of the "Uniroyal Gals"; female versions of these giant advertising statues.  (The image he found is at the top of this post.)

"Where was this picture taken?  What business was it advertising?", he asked.  Geez, that was 45 years ago!  How can I possibly remember that?

The Happiest Slum in Africa

Also in this issue:

• A Philosophical Pontification
• Supplement for A7R V Firmware update
• Next Time in Cameracraft / In the Pipeline

The Photo Safari participants 2025

The photo safari in Kenya happened back in November, and just like last year, everyone had a great time!  You can see the some shots from both the participants and me in this google photos album.  I won't say much more about it; suffice to say it was identical to last year's successful event.

While in Nairobi, Carol and I decided to do something unusual - before the safari we hired a guide who took us on a tour of a slum.  To tell you more about it, let me introduce you to Lee Friedman, one of the Safari participants (yes, we're related, but we didn't know that when we first met!), who went with us and shares his thoughts and photos of the area:

The Villages of the Maasai Mara

Also in this issue:

• Help send a Maasai child to school

The game reserves we visited in Kenya belong to the Maasai community, who leases the land to eco-tourism companies like Gamewatchers Safaris that allow them to earn more from the land than if they had used it for some other purpose, like farming.  The Maasai still live like they have for centuries - the men still watch over the cattle (and their multiple wives); while the women do ALL the work, including hut building using cow dung.

As part of our Safari experience, we were treated to a visit to a working "Boma" (village), where people showed us how they live.  Upon my first visit, I was a little skeptical - the place is so neat; and their colors are so bright (despite having to wash them in the dirty river nearby).  Is this just a show they put on for us white folks?