Are Kit Lenses Worthless?

 Also in this issue:

• The Next Seminars
• Other Tidbits

My New Favorite Travel Camera

When it comes to travel photography, there was always a soft spot in my heart for the Konica Minolta A1 and A2 bridge cameras.  These came out before the legendary KM 7D, and I used the A1 for half of my China blog.  By today's standards the image quality falls short for all but the lowest ISOs, but as far as form factor and function goes, these cameras had a certain gem quality to them.  The user interface was clearly designed by a photographer (as opposed to a marketing team); they had a real wide angle lens (most bridge cameras of the time didn't) and thankfully they had a manual zoom ring (as opposed to the motorized kind that only drained the batteries and offered no real benefit).  It shot movies, it had a built-in intervolometer, and it was my first exposure (no pun intended) to the promise of the electronic viewfinder.

Fast forward to about three weeks ago, when my NEX-7 and kit lens FINALLY arrived.  Imagine - all the quality of the A77 without the weight or volume! 

Top 10 Best (and Worst) Minolta Cameras Ever

Also in this issue:

• How I shot the video
• Copenhagen, Colorado, and California Seminars are happening!
• A65 / A77 book is out, and timeline for the new NEX 7 book

The Top 10 Best (and Worst) Minolta Cameras Ever


I'm starting to expand into video.  This show-and-tell piece turned out to be so large that it's being split into two parts.  Watch Part I below:

A Family Portrait with Uncooperative Children

Also in this issue:

• Flash Exposure Accuracy with the A77 and A65
• A Pitch for a Cable Show
• Seminars for 2012 
• Other Stuff

A Family Portrait with Uncooperative Children

The above shot was probably the most difficult family portrait I've ever had to shoot.  Part of the problem is I'm in the shot, but the significantly bigger problem is that there are three grandchildren in the picture, two of whom don't know anything about sitting still or posing, and the third absolutely, positively refuses to pose or even smile for the camera.  And there was no photographer on hand to provide a distraction and shoot at the decisive moment when everyone's looking.  What to do?

My search for a Point-and-Shoot

Also in this issue:

• Evolution of the Seminars
• A Parting Shot

My Search for a Point-and-Shoot

I carry a point-and-shoot with me almost all the time.  My motto is "the camera you have with you is infinitely more valuable than the big, expensive one you left home because you didn't want to schlep it around."  And last May my ancient and pocketable Sony DSC-T10 died.  Well, not so much as died as the optical stabilization mechanism went haywire and it was oscillating full-tilt all the time.  (Actually I took advantage of it to get some neat nighttime images like the one above.)  Time to re-acquaint myself with the current offerings and spend way more time than I have trying to select one that's good for my needs.

But what are my needs?  

Homeless for Five Years

Imagine getting on a plane to go to a foreign land with only a few dollars in your pocket, no particular plan, no place to stay, no place to return to, and because you’re on a tourist visa, no way to work legally.  Now imagine doing that and criss-crossing the U.S. while being officially homeless and jobless for three years.  These two sisters, age 25 and 28, have been living that life.  Coming to America in November 2008, they’ve been having no shortage of adventures across the U.S. and seem to take their entire transitory lifestyle in stride.  It's a pretty amazing story.

Ayn Rand Portrait Bust - How I took this cover of The Objective Standard

Also in this issue:

• My favorite Android App
• Ebook updates
• A tribute to our cat

Ayn Rand's Portrait Bust Photo

This is a portrait bust of Ayn Rand, an American novelist and philosopher best known for her books "The Fountainhead" and “Atlas Shurgged”.  It was sculpted by Sandra Shaw, an incredibly talented artist, scholar and teacher, and I had the honor and privilege of photographing her work, which made the cover of The Objective Standard.  And while it was a fun picture to take, the process of setting up the shot was anything but easy.

My Worst Trip Ever

Also in this issue:

• We are travelling!  Anyone want to meet-up for shooting?
•  Environmental Portraits
•  Wireless Flash Talk Video

My Worst Trip Ever

Lots of people ask me “Where’s your favorite travel destination to take pictures?”.  (To which I usually give my standard but truthful answer, “Wherever I am!”)  But nobody ever asks me, “Hey, Gary, where’s the WORST place you’ve ever traveled to?”

Well; I’ll tell you anyway.  It was Namibia.  In the middle of the African continent.  And my negative experience had more to do with me than it did with the country I was in.  Let me explain...

Where the anti-JPG bias came from...

Also in this issue:

• Stories from New Scotland
• Manual Exposure for Alpha 33 / Alpha 55's Video 
• Ebook for the A560 / A580 now available in Spanish! 

Where the Anti-JPG Bias Came From


I don't want to add to the RAW vs. JPG religious debate.  But I thought it would be useful to reveal just where the huge industry-wide anti-JPG bias came from.  Have a look at this picture I took in 2001 using a very early digital camera:

Cybercrime Pays!

[Disclaimer: This has nothing at all to do with photography.  But it's certainly relevant to anyone who conducts business online. -GF]

Once upon a time I was a regular speaker for high school career day.  Back then, I was a NASA guy and I was able to establish instant credibility by talking about my job and showing them the device I made that got me into the Guinness Book of World Records (a big deal when you’re in high school).  After the introductions, I would start out telling everyone to make a paper airplane, but not to test it.

“So now you’re in charge of the Federal Aviation Administration and your job is to certify that the plane is safe to fly”.  This caused cognitive dissonance in my audience, since I specifically instructed them not to test their airplanes.  “How can we certify that they’re flightworthy if we can’t even test them?”

Wireless Flash saves RBL – Again

“This photo makes me want to buy life insurance or something” - Friedman Archives Facebook Fan

Also in this issue:

• Stories from the Field Workshop
• Wireless Flash Video and Spanish A33 / A55 book now available!
• Updates to existing ebooks
• Photo Blogs of note

Malaysia Part 2

Also in this issue:

• O Canada!  (and O Boston!)
• Two New Products (and one revised one)
• DRM Conundrum - Part 2 
• More insights from the Sony team

Last month I spoke about my romp to Malaysia, and that although I was there for a week, I only had ONE DAY to actually go out shooting and try to capture a visual taste of this large and widely differing country in a photojournalistic style.  How can you possibly capture the essence of a country in just one day?  Even more challenging, how can you do it “National Geographic Style”, where photographers often spend months in a country, getting to know it and visiting a gazillion nooks and crannies?  Let me share with you some of the techniques I used to try to tackle this difficult challenge.