PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSEPH GAMBLE

TAMPA BAY HIGHER EDUCATION PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-10-26T08:42:00.032-04:00

TOM MENDOZA AND GOAL-ORIENTED THINKING

"If you do the right thing, money happens to you." - Tom Mendoza

It was supposed to be a standard event photo shoot but the 45-minutes that I spent documenting Tom Mendoza's talk at USF's Stavros Center in 2009 was revelatory. Mendoza is the vice-chairman of NetApp, the technology company responsible for the server storage used by companies like Apple, Blackberry and Yahoo. He is frequently credited with instilling the culture that has led NetApp to be ranked the #1 company to work for by Fortune Magazine in 2009.

I did my typical, non-intrusive photo documentation of the event but frequently stopped to listen and laugh at Mendoza's insights about his career in management. He was dynamic and positively inspirational and I soon adopted several of his techniques in running my own small business and living a meaningful balanced life.

I highly recommend sitting down and listening to the video but here are several principles from his talk that are worth noting:

The most important attribute by far is Attitude. "This is 100 percent in your power. Everyday you choose it," he says. "It isn't a constant but how you present yourself can be a constant. There is no upside to a bad attitude."
Candor is the the key to communication. "If you don't agree with me or don't like what I'm saying, I expect you tell me right now. The unacceptable thing is to go out in the hall and tell other people instead. That's not how to run a company."
Setting Expectations High Enough because most people set them too low. "Most high performance people have time-bound measureable goals. These are your own goals for driving your life."

To implement his goal system, Tom sets 90-day goals — three personal goals and three professional goals. All are measurable. They are written down in a personal book. The personal are kept private so, essentially, you are accountable only to yourself. For professional goals, he asks "how can I make an impact?" and these are shared with clients and customers to solicit feedback if he is on the right track.

In addition to writing down the goals, Tom puts one appointment in his calendar every day for himself. Writing it down is different than saying it. "You're in control. You're driving somewhere every 90 days. Every 90 days, change your goals or don't change them. You're aiming at them."

Here is a great interview with Mendoza by the Wall Street Journal and the link to the video of the talk appears online at iTunes U.

TAMPA BAY HIGHER EDUCATION PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-10-17T08:20:00.000-04:00

Rick Bailey, principal at Richard Harrison Bailey / The Agency, recently sent me a copy of his philosophical advertising book "Coherence: How Telling the Truth Will Advance Your Cause" and it proved to be a tremendous quick read. I've collaborated with Rick on several photo projects this year and I've found the process to be meaningful and easy, each of us challenging the other to push the approach with higher education imagery.

While the message of Coherence is relatively simple - know yourself, brand yourself and market yourself, Bailey's smart writing goes deeper, exploring the importance of differentiation and value in today's marketplace. Much of the case studies pertain to the realm of non-profit higher education communities but there are some key insights that directly translated to my business as a commercial photographer.

He writes, "In the worst economy in nearly 100 years, you must provide sufficient rationale for existence. In a word, you must differentiate. Clearly, genuinely, openly. You must provide a convincing case for your enormous cost. You have to prove the merits of your approach. You need to show the outcomes that make you a superior choice. Further, you have to deliver on the experience."

Working with a photography consultant since 2008 has greatly assisted in my efforts at differentiation but it's an evolving process. Prior to the democratization of the profession as a result of digital technology, top photographers were often "jack-of-all-trades" types, capable of shooting food one day and then shifting to executive portraits or ad campaigns the next. Photographers today must be "masters of some," targeting very specific topical niches in order to survive,

Feel free to track down a copy of the book online and keep up with Rick Bailey and the RHB team via their web site and great blog.

TAMPA BAY COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-10-10T08:48:00.000-04:00

RIDE ONWARD MR. JOBS

I have never mourned the death of a corporate CEO that I hand't met... until now. The passing of Steve Jobs last week at 56 years old, on the heels of Apple's new iPhone announcement, seemed abrupt and darkly unexpected. He had officially resigned as CEO on August 24, a sign that the pancreatic cancer that he had been staving off since his diagnosis seven years ago, had resurfaced with a vengeance.

Jobs was a fiercely untraditional corporate mogul. A confessed pot-smoker and experimenter with LSD in his college days, he dropped out of Reed in 1972 to bum around Portland for 18 months, auditing classes before traveling to an Indian ashram and returning to the states as a Buddhist. His roots in eastern religion, counterculture and drug experimentation fueled an "out of the box" visionary mentality that catapulted him to champion the Apple computer he and Steve Wozniak built in his parent's garage into a global technology movement.

To say the Apple computer has affected my life would be a gross understatement. It was 1983 when I first became aware of a computer called Macintosh. I was nine years old and would often be dropped by carpool at Caldwell's, my grandparent's clothing store, where I was expected to break ground on my homework until the store closed at 6 pm and my mother would drive us home. A small upstart retail computer store called AC3 Computing appeared in the shopping center that year and they were dedicated to Apple computers and their flagship Macintosh II and III computer. I can still smell the fresh blue carpet and see the walls decorated with plastic banners of Apple's then rainbow logo. After curiously poking my head in there one day, I soon became a regular... the kid who would come in and start gaming on one of the demo machines. My grandfather would eventually come retrieve me and apologize that I had "worn out my welcome," but none of the employees seemed to mind. "That's why they're here," I recall one of them saying as my grandfather ushered me out, bribing me with Jolly Ranchers.

I have now personally owned or worked on more than a dozen Apple computers since I used my financial aid to purchase my very own Powerbook 145 during my freshman year at Trinity College in 1992. With the exception of the Commodore 64 that I used in high school and the eight months at the Nantucket Beacon that we used PCs, I've been an Apple loyalist, a devotee, a drinker of the Kool-Aid. I actually have an Apple sticker on my car where it shares space with a BMW motorcycle sticker. My friend "Into the Drink" television host Nick Lucey and I would often joke during our time on staff at Scuba Diving magazine that Apple was an irreverent cult and we were a proud part of it.

Now that digital has redefined the world of photography, my Macbook Pro has a dedicated slot in my camera bag. It is as critical to the process of imagemaking as the lens on the camera. Period. This summer I was involved in a field project in which I was using an Ipad to trigger the shutter on a camera, 20 feet off the ground on a tripod, and the images then appeared on my MacBook Pro a few feet away. If I needed my assistants to recompose the shot, the live view on the iPad would let me see what the camera was seeing and make adjustments to composition and exposure. None of that would be possible without Apple computing. These latest advancements, and the many yet to come from the campus in Cupertino, are the legacy of Steve Jobs.

There are a number of exceptional images of the man who pioneered the unfashionable, yet simple, jeans and black long sleeve t-shirt look. Although I have a great affinity for the Albert Watson 4x5 portrait of Jobs that Apple.com posted on their site on the day of Steve's passing, I will always love the National Geographic image of Jobs blasting around Silicon Valley on his 1966 BMW R60/2 motorcycle. Wind-streaked long hair, beard, and cowboy boots, he is blazing with great speed and intensity on his way to a meeting, likely leading the charge for a new innovation. Ride onward Mr. Jobs. You will be missed.

Photo appears courtesy of Motorcycle Photo of the Day and PetaPixel.

TAMPA BAY EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-07-27T10:35:00.002-04:00

WHEN YOUR CAMERA SWIMS WITH THE FISHES

A friend of mine and I were chatting on the phone as my brother and I barreled down State Road Six in Wolcott, Colorado to launch his river catamaran into the Eagle River before the afternoon work crowd clogged the boat ramp. "Good luck and swim with the fishes," she said. "Actually, catch many fishes would be more appropriate," I said. "To swim with the fishes implies that you are going to get whacked in a retaliatory strike by a rival mobster a la Tony Soprano."

Two hours later, after landing a nice trout, I was cast off the bow of the boat into the 50-degree waters of the Eagle as the catamaran eased limply over a hidden rock and into a throttling hydraulic. Everything that wasn't strapped or carabinered to the boat proved a casualty of the flip. As I pawed the water towards the bank, my right hand locked to the Orvis rod in my hand, I watched as my Canon G10, safe in the plastic clutches of its housing, bobbed below me in the currents. Perhaps, for a millisecond, I considered racing after it, but my waders were already half-filled with water, a brain freeze was setting in and, frankly, I wasn't confident how long it would take to reach the bank.

So, somewhere in the roiling currents of the Eagle, my go-to point-and-shoot camera in fact now swims with the fishes. As it was nearly three years old, the time was coming to replace it anyway so I decided to toss out a question to a consortium of fellow photographers whose opinions I have come to rely on as to a worthy replacement from among the top choices: Canon S95, Canon G12, Panasonic LX5/Leica D-Lux 5, Panasonic GF2/GF3 and Sony NEX-5. Photoshelter had done a similar canvassing of professionals here. Here are some of the most noteworthy responses from my friends.

Chris Odom:

"My thoughts on my top three... Canon S95 - great camera in a small package. Has a lot going for it but mostly because of it's size. I think a pro's P&S should be a but more robust though. However, I do think this would make a perfect 3rd camera."

"Canon G12 - has a lot going for it but one drawback in my opinion is the form factor. I've had two G series cameras and have appreciated both of them. That is my only criticism... the brickness of it. Well that and the performance of the sensor. I think the best thing Canon did for the G series was to reduce the number of pixels on the sensor and improve image quality. Another huge plus factor though is the cheap water housing from Canon. This alone was almost enough to keep me in the G series camp, but then again, I'm a water shooter."

"Sony NEX-5 - love the performance from the sensor. Flat out, this was the reason I got one. And the size. And the HD video. And the interchangeable lenses. The one thing that stopped it from being my mistress was the lack of a manufacturer housing. There are third party solutions available but $1500 is kinda steep in my opinion. Who wants to spend that kind of cash on a part time girlfriend when you can give your wife a killer weekend in NYC and reap the benefits the rest of the year? This camera has been in my bag (in all the various uses of the term) since I got it and has turned out some great images. And video. See for yourself here and here. Not too shabby in my opinion, minus the audio of course. Seriously though, you should see the uncompressed footage. I know the industry's complaint is the operating system but, I've used this camera for over a year in various situations (yes, I even used it on an assignment in front of the client!) and it hasn't slowed my shooting process down. I did however, take the time to learn it's nuances and how to work with it instead of fight it."

Jeremy Allen:

"As you know, I have the Leica version of the Panasonic LX, so I am partial to it. It and the LX5 have a 24mm lens and f2.0 aperture. The only other one with f2.0 is the S95. The Panasonic gets some negative reviews of its jpg processing, but the Leica version (D-Lux 4) produces astounding jpgs. If you will always shoot RAW, then the LX5 is fine. I love my little Leica; it produces a beautiful file, but the Sony has a larger sensor, and Chris makes a strong case for the quality of that Sony image. The LX5 range is 24-90mm whereas the others start at 28mm but have more on the long end, so if you must have lots of zoom, the LX5 may not work for you. The Leica version I have is only 24-60mm, so it's even more limited in focal length, but I don't mind. The LX5, G12, GF2, S95 have the most options for aspect ratios. These even have 1:1, so if you want to shoot in square format you can, without having to crop later. The Sony only has 3:2 ans 16:9. I am always changing the aspect ratio on my Leica depending on what I am shooting and who I am shooting for. If I know I am shooting a portrait for someone who will only want a 8x10 or other traditional print size, then I will shoot in 4:3 aspect. Much of the time I shoot in 3:2 aspect, which fits 4x6 and 8x12 prints. Lately I have been shooting more in 16:9 format for viewing on my HDTV. I wish my Leica had 1:1 because I love shooting and framing in square format. Now I am seriously considering upgrading."

Chris Bloom:

"As you know, Canons and Panasonic's make up my 'point and shoot' and compact lineups as you know. I think I've had/have four Canons and two Panasonics. The Olympus Stylus tough is great but image quality stinks. The Powershot and Lumix range have superior color rendition and sharpness from my experience with menus and features that are excellent although Canon's are better. The Panasonic DMC-ZS5 has a 25-300 range and a Leica lens. You've seen that camera and you know that it takes very good shots. I can't do fixed focal length no matter how good the image quality is. It's too constraining and you end up with beautiful shots and frustratingly wishful composition. You also know that I have a micro 4/3s Panasonic G1 which I've used (including Yosemite) a lot and love it. It's a great happy medium and you should probably consider getting the GF3 or G3 as their versatility and image quality are excellent. Additionally, shooting 1080i (in stereo), having an articulated 960,000 pixel count screen and shooting multiple formats is beneficial to your work and travel. Buy one of those cameras with the 14-42mm (i.e. 28-84mm) and pick up the 20mm f/1.7 pancake and you're at the same price as that X100 but you're packing heat with great image quality and not just something pretty (with great image quality)."

Jason Henthorne:

"Sony? Come on brother…no u/w housings for that pup….so its out. OK…so there is an Aquatica…but you get my point. Ikelite isn't even going to support this model. The only reason I mention Ikelite…..is at least with their housing you can add either the Inon screw on wide angle (on the fly in the water) which gives you the ability to shoot macro and wide angle on the same dive etc. Panasonic….same thing….no u/w housings options or certainly limited. Ah…Canon!! Could keep things ultra compact and simple with the S95. Downside….I don't think there is any option for any housing where you can shoot dual strobes? Which leaves us with the G12! "

Although each of these cameras would be a worthy replacement and represent an improvement over my G10, I elected the Canon S95 largely because of its compact take-anywhere unobtrusive size. I had originally intended my G10 to be a take any camera but it proved to be too much of a brick to schlep anywhere.

TAMPA BAY COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-07-20T18:08:00.010-04:00

LAST TIME I SAW RICHARD...

It was the spring of 2002 and we were marooned on a live-aboard dive boat in the Yasawa Islands. His now wife Heather was on assignment for Sport Diver magazine and I was juggling the roles of writer/photographer for Scuba Diving magazine. As fortune dictated, my then girlfriend and I split a few weeks prior to the trip so I spent the two week "Lover's Dive Trip to Paradise" as the lone guy on a scuba cruise full of couples renewing their affection beneath the Pacific moon. But that is another tale.

A few months back, I received an email from Richard Steinberger admiring my web site with the suggestion that we possibly reconnect as allies in the photo profession. I remembered that he was already a smart photographer nine years ago — shooting iPix imagery with a Nikon point-and-shoot digital camera on board the Fiji Air flight before boarding commenced — so I welcomed the opportunity as I was duly wowed at his marine photography.

Photographers speak the same language and such was the case on Monday when I joined Richard outside his new Bailey, Colorado home for an afternoon steak lunch and impromptu portfolio critique. He was due to board a flight out to Wisconsin for an assignment the following day and I was wrapping up a fly fishing holiday with a few meetings in Denver.

The conversation drifted from personal talk of family life to the pitfalls of relocating businesses to a new market to memories of Fiji and the role of new technology like RC cameras and minicopters in the pro arena. Photographers helping other photographers. It's a real key to being a success in the visual marketplace. I like to think it was an invaluable afternoon for both of us and I'm looking forward to repaying his hospitality on his next location yachting photo shoot in Florida.

TAMPA BAY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-07-14T10:12:00.014-04:00

SMALLER, FASTER, LIGHTER, QUIETER

Magnum photographer Alex Majoli was on to something and ahead of his time when he ditched the SLR in 2003 and began shooting exclusively with Olympus point-and-shoot cameras. Many of these early images ran in top publications like Newsweek and Vanity Fair and Majoli was awarded Magazine Photographer of the Year by the NPPA.

As he relayed to Rob Galbraith here, the size of the camera and the greater depth of field that comes with moderate apertures like 5.6 and 8 led to his decision to ditch the SLR. With the new Fuji X100 entering the professional market along with the micro four-thirds format popularized recently by Olympus and Panasonic, I foresee more and more editorial photographers incorporating these tools into their documentary workflow.

This week I've been in Colorado with meetings along with a daily dose of fly fishing the Eagle River. I've been tempted to pack along an SLR in a dry housing but with the frenetic pace of doing a river float, there simply isn't time to slow down, crack open the Pelican case and compose a frame. So, my Canon G10, nearly three years old, in a waterproof housing has been a fantastic tool for making professional-grade images without the hassle and anxiety of taking my Nikons out on a class 3 river.

It's smaller, faster, lighter, quieter, less noticeable and when you make use of presets and master the Flexi-Zone autofocus controls, you come away with a quality file. I'm looking forward to the next generation of point and shoot cameras as they offer a more affordable and, depending on your shooting style, better alternative for editorial shooting.

TAMPA BAY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-07-06T10:00:00.002-04:00

THE MOVING TARGET

"You know, it's harder to hit a moving target." My good friend Sharon Mariner and I were sharing a glass of wine outside Tampa's Fly Bar and the quote seemed to resonate with my last few weeks. I've been feverishly busy as several projects all hit at once and I've welcomed the road warrior life that I began on June 12 when I boarded a US Air direct to DC.

After a week working outside Washington, I drove through the smoke-filled corridors of southern Georgia to spend three days at Parris Island, SC for a shoot with a new client. Then on to Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia for a weekend with old friends. This past week I spent a day locked in the vault of the Florida State Archives photographing a rare collection of Native American antiquities. l now write this long overdue blog entry from 30,000 feet en route to New Orleans for a long holiday weekend and a three day shoot next week. Then on to Colorado.

During layovers and breaks during all this movement, I've made some personal images that I decided to publish and share via the blog. So, here are the outtakes from my recent travels...

TAMPA BAY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-06-08T22:32:00.014-04:00

PACKING FOR THE FIELD

Packing for a trip is fraught with a mix of excitement, anxiety and, to some degree, paranoia. Much of the work that I'll be doing on a upcoming archaeology assignment involves shooting without touching the camera. Essentially, I'll be using OnOne Software's DSLR Camera Remote on my iPad paired with Nikon's Camera Control Pro to fire the camera wirelessly so it then captures imagery and routes it directly to the computer. It's a critical component to shooting a data set of over 50 images of an artifact as any camera movement will compromise the post-production steps.

If you get out there in the field and the images don't transfer or there is a glitch in the system or a critical piece of gear is back in the office, it can make or break the success of the project. It's the Eagle Scout in me that makes multiple lists and starts assembling gear several days in advance of takeoff. If it's not there when I land, it's time to improvise.

Travis Doering, the team leader for the upcoming project, shared one such improvisation with me for protecting hard drives when working in the field. He uses neoprene beer coozies to wrap up any hard drives to keep them comfy during travel days and also out in the field. The great thing about them is that they are multi-purpose. A great idea worth sharing.

TAMPA BAY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-06-01T10:32:00.011-04:00

THE TIMELESS QUALITY OF BLACK AND WHITE

During portrait sessions these past two weeks, I stepped away from the lighting scenario and worked with natural light to make portraits that I intended to convert to black and white. I still miss shooting black and white emulsion and often shoot with 120 when doing portraits but I didn't have the luxury of toting my Mamiya to these sessions. These images are ultimately not going to make my new portrait book but I wanted to publish them here on the blog.

The portrait I did of pilot captain, sailor and yarn spinner Warwick Cahill was done on the bow of his cruiser Providence and was one of a series of a images done prior to "lighting" him up with strobes. He was looking off in the distance at my assistant and the image jumped out later in the editing.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of spending the day in Vernonburg, Georgia working with painter, illustrator, artist extraordinaire Katherine Sandoz. She graciously gave me two hours of her time in her red barn studio and we worked with a lighting setup and then natural light outdoors on the barn's porch.

One of the most compelling images that came from the shoot, however, was a casual portrait in her living room as we shared coffee after a lunch provided by her artist friend McCay. Working with her was a true collaboration — we started with very formal portraiture and then she began working and occasionally stopped for a second, mid-stroke, to turn and give me a chance to shoot. It was a very fluid process.

Philip Polk Palmer described his voice and style as somewhere between Jim Morrison and Tom Waits and cited Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen as among his influences. I listened to his music at lunch on CD with Katherine so it was a seamless transition into our afternoon session working at an old, dilapidated greenhouse. Really terrific music.

We talked for a while about music and the recording options using digital technology. I'm looking forward to trying some of his suggestions with my own feeble recording efforts. After working three setups in the greenhouse, we stepped into the shifting light of afternoon and he sat on a rusty barrel swarmed by kudzu and vines. The contrast of his white shirt and peppery beard against the green was ideal for black and white.

There is a real timeless feel to working in monochrome, exposing for the shadows and printing for the highlights. I still enjoy film but I'm excited about incorporating Nik Silver Efex Pro into future digital work to take the tones to new places.

TAMPA BAY PEOPLE PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-05-26T12:00:00.003-04:00

GIVING BACK AS A PHOTOGRAPHER

Yesterday, I attended the 30th anniversary luncheon for the Children's Dream Fund, a local Tampa Bay non-profit that grants a wish to children facing serious illness. The organization grew out of the Sunshine City Jaycees and their work back in 1981 to grant the dream of eight year old Fransie Geringer who was fighting the aging disease progeria.

I have donated my time behind the lens to various non-profit organizations but my primary involvement has been with Flashes of Hope, a national non-profit committed to providing families dealing with illness with free photographic portrait sessions. A session from last year with a courageous young girl named Ella led to a powerful portrait that the Dream Fund saw and asked to use as the cover for the invitation and luncheon program. As part of my agreement to license the image, my work was featured as a Dream Team sponsorship.

The highlight of the experience was visiting with Ella (now with a full head of hair) and having her mother tell me how important those pictures are to her family. Photography is always about taking and capturing but working with non-profits like Flashes of Hope and the Children's Dream Fund affords one the gift of being able to give back. St. Francis once said, "For it is in giving that we receive."

TAMPA BAY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-05-20T14:09:00.016-04:00

SHOOTING FOR THE BOOK

In finalizing the layout for my new portrait portfolio, I decided to lean on a few of the characters that I occasionally chum around to sit for environmental portraits. Monday night, on the eve of the May full moon, my avuncular cycle guru Nick Nichols agreed to take out his Paul Smart Limited Edition Ducati and don his Alpine Star race leathers.

Prior to heading out as we were waiting for the light to ease, Nick polished up the chrome and I set to work experimenting for the first time with a lens baby and a macro attachment. After a few blurry attempts, I finally got the hang of it and made a few nice detail images of the silver steed.

Assistant and friend Travis Turner and I worked a lighting setup that bridged a Ranger unit, several Nikon speedlights set to slave and the setting sun. The contrast of the silver Ducati, the blue race leathers and the warm, and later cool, dusk light made for a striking image and a worthy addition to the new book.

Installation of "Farm Team: A Season in the Minors"

2011-04-13T14:29:00.014-04:00

Fellow photographer Travis Turner and Diana Hanson of the Pasco-Hernando Community College Library helped me install the 30 framed images of "Farm Team: A Season in the Minors" in the Alric Pottberg Gallery yesterday. I took the following images with my Canon G10 once the installation process was completed.

This is the first Florida exhibition of "Farm Team: A Season in the Minors." The photographs of the Savannah Sand Gnats baseball team document the pitfalls and triumphs of the 2004 season, the 100th anniversary of minor league baseball in Savannah, Georgia. They capture the rituals of daily summer league life, portraying a side of minor league ball that spectators rarely witness: prayers in the dugout on Sunday, clubhouse card games during a rain delay, dominos games on the team bus, and the training room routine before each game. The resulting visual chronicle honors the hopeful determination of the minor league team and documents their hardships in pursuit of the highest level of sport.

The exhibition runs from April 14 - May 12 with an opening reception on Thursday, April 14th from 5-7 pm. A "ballpark menu" will be served at the reception. Please join me that evening. We are expecting between 75 and 125 people to be in attendance.

Alric C.T. Pottberg Library Gallery
10230 Ridge Road
New Port Richey, Florida 34654-5199
813-847-2727

Parking info:
Park in Parking Lot 5. The Gallery is Building J.

Campus Map:
http://phcc.edu/maps/npr.php

More info:
http://phcc.edu/gallery/

http://www.aseasonintheminors.com

Farm Team: A Season in the Minorsat Alric Pottberg Gallery, April 12 - May 14, 2011

2011-03-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Betsy Hansen for including mention of my upcoming exhibition in the recent ASMPCF newsletter. I am excited to announce the first Florida exhibition of "Farm Team: A Season in the Minors" at the Alric C.T. Pottberg Gallery on the campus of Pasco-Hernando Community College. The photographs of the Savannah Sand Gnats baseball team document the pitfalls and triumphs of the 2004 season, the 100th anniversary of minor league baseball in Savannah, Georgia. I traveled on the team bus and photographed the team through the rituals of daily summer league life, portraying a side of minor league ball that spectators rarely witness: prayers in the dugout on Sunday, clubhouse card games during a rain delay, dominos games on the team bus, and the training room routine before each game. The resulting visual chronicle honors the hopeful determination of the minor league team and documents their hardships in pursuit of the highest level of sport.

The exhibition runs from April 14 - May 12 with an opening reception on Thursday, April 14th from 5-7 pm. A "ballpark menu" will be served at the reception. Please join me that evening. Fine art prints from the limited edition collection will be available.

More information can be found online here along with the exhibition guide for 2011 at the gallery. Feel free to visit the online site for the project.

"I Am A Professional"

2011-03-01T00:32:00.005-05:00

The new American Society of Media Photographer's Find A Photographer video makes a strong statement and provides a robust promotional piece for its membership. Having joined the organization as a graduate student more than eight years ago, it has done more for my understanding of the business side of being a creative than any other photographic organization. More importantly, it is this business acumen, which entails a precise understanding of copyright and usage, that separates those who are true professionals behind the camera and those who are now flooding the marketplace, burning CDs and granting all reproduction rights for little money.

I'm looking forward to attending ASMP's upcoming Strictly Business 3 in Chicago in April. The organization has done so much for my career and it continues to keep my finger on the pulse of the industry as it shifts and evolves. "I am a professional, I am ASMP."

Jazz Photography of Herb Snitzer at Tampa Museum through May 15, 2011

2011-02-22T23:18:00.007-05:00

Legendary jazz photographer Herb Snitzer's recent book "Glorious Days and Nights: A Jazz Memoir" was unveiled on January 30, 2011 with a gallery talk, book signing and exhibition at the Tampa Museum of Art. I was very fortunate to make it to Herb's gallery talk and hear his heartfelt remembrances of playing ping pong with Charles Mingus and riding through the South with Louis Armstrong and his big band. I was equally lucky to snag one of the final copies of the 40 books that were on hand to be signed and through my friendship with bassist and jazz writer Philip Booth, I was able to meet Herb and get a photo with him after he inscribed my book.

The collection of images functions as a sincere, elegiac chronicle of New York's jazz scene during the heyday of the mid-20th century. As he writes so well in the introduction, "I came to jazz through art—painting and photography, the American Abstract Expressionists, beat poets, Greenwich Village wanderings—as a young and very impressionable artist living in New York City. I was drawn to the music, as I was to my art, initially, by the spirit and joy that I felt every time I heard jazz." You can feel this sense of adoration in each of the 85 black and white images between the pages of "Glorious Days."

The exhibition is on display through May 15 at the museum, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza in Tampa. For more information, call (813) 274-8130 or visit the museum’s web site.

Photo Talk at Florida Museum of Photographic Arts

2010-11-12T13:41:00.017-05:00

As part of the "Fifteen Minutes of Fame" gallery talk series at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, I will be giving a short presentation on my photographic life on Wednesday, November 17 at 7 pm as one of six artists currently working in photography. The presentation is free for members of FMOPA with a suggested donation of $4 for non-members.

Attendees select an Audience Choice Award from among the presenters so I greatly appreciate any support from friends and fellow photo enthusiasts in the Tampa Bay area. FMOPA is located in downtown Tampa at 200 North Tampa Street, Suite 130 with the entrance at the corner of Jackson Street and Ashley Drive. More information on the gallery talk can be found here and a more precise set of directions can be found here.

Photo courtesy of inkwatu.com.

Photos from Creek Ranch

2010-10-28T16:10:00.009-04:00

Located just outside of Haines City, Florida on Lake Hatchineha, Creek Ranch is a place that I've been fortunate to visit when city life starts getting to me and I need to take a camera and go back to nature. Riding around the property with owner and manager Jim Black (pictured below), I've had an opportunity to photograph raptors like bald eagles, red tail hawks, merlins as well as alligators sunning in water holes out in the middle of brush fields. It is truly an amazing place for photography.

The inaugural session of the Creek Ranch Photography Workshops kicks off on December 9, 2010 and spots are still available. Please join wildlife photographer Carlton Ward Jr and I and take your photographic skills to a new level. For more information and to make reservations, please visit us online.

Photography Workshop at Creek Ranch

2010-10-05T16:54:00.006-04:00

Located in the heart of Central Florida on Lake Hatchineha, Creek Ranch is a functioning cattle ranch designed for corporate retreats, family vacations and other events aimed at a mixture of adventure and tranquility. I am proud to collaborate with photographer Carlton Ward Jr. and Jim Black of Creek Ranch in launching a three day photography workshop on December 9 to 12, 2010.

For more information on the workshop and to reserve a spot, please visit the Creek Ranch web site and be sure to follow updates on the ranch on their blog.

I will soon be posting images from my recent shoots at the ranch to provide an example of the multifaceted photo opportunities on the property. Stay tuned....

Photographers vs. TSA

2010-09-28T10:03:00.007-04:00

There has been a lot of outrage and concern online recently about the Transportation Security Administration's recent poster campaign depicting a hooded photographer shooting an image of a Gulfstream jet on a tarmac. "Don't let our planes get into the wrong hands" is the tag line of the ad. The National Press Photographers Association has expressed concern over the campaign which is aimed at smaller regional airports. The NPPA is currently engaged in a lawsuit against the TSA over their laptop search policy at the US border.

In this age of heightened security, a great deal of confusion exists over the rights of photographers in exercising the first amendment. In any public place, and from the vantage point of a public street, sidewalk or park, photographers are allowed to capture images.

A good clarification of photographer's rights appears online here. I recently came across the blog of Carlos Miller, Miami multimedia journalist, that uses his web space to report on abuses against photographers and videographers working in journalism. It raises some excellent issues related to the first amendment and its use by visual communicators working today.

Apple's Next Camera to Redefine Point and Shoot

2010-09-27T09:46:00.001-04:00

Apple has apparently filed patents recently to radically update the functionality of the camera technology that is currently built into the iPhone and iPod platforms as well as their desktop computers. Writing in an article in the New York Times, Nick Bilton describes how this new patent includes a dedicated smart flash that can target poorly lit aspects of an individual image. Essentially, fill flash with a brain.

It is likely that Apple's new camera component in the iPhone will legitimately replace the popular point and shoot camera for photographers. Since the 3G iPhone, the camera has garnered a foothold with the photography community. Seattle-based photographer Chase Jarvis can take much of the credit for popularizing the device as he uses it as a sketching tool when working in the field. He has also published a book of iPhone images, launched a web community and created an iPhone app.

I look forward to the day when the camera in the iPhone can shoot RAW and create image files that I can actually use in my portfolio. Until then....

Buddy Brew Coffee

2010-09-24T00:39:00.002-04:00

When you name your coffee shop after your dog, you have to be cool people. Dave and Susan Ward's new coffee shop at 2020 W. Kennedy Boulevard serves up a variety of artisanal coffees that are roasted on site. The company is also a supplier of coffees to several local restaurant establishments in the Tampa Bay area. Cool people and great coffee.

I recently had an opportunity to sample the exceptional coffee at Buddy Brew and take some photographs of them along with the company mascot and CEO. Please stop in on them and have a sip from a neverending cup or purchase a bag of coffee to brew at home.

High Society iPad Cases

2010-09-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

My friend Gil Williams forwarded a link from Fortune online to some of the most fashionable cases for the iPad. The roundup of cases by Philip Elmer-DeWitt range in price from $290 to $1,555. They are a bit on the pricey side as you can see if you check out the photos that appear online here.

The best case that I've seen and the one that I personally own is Fossil's e-reader case, which Apple employees typically encourage consumers to check out. I've attached a picture that illustrates the sleek leather design of this accessory. Cool stuff.

Geekfest this Weekend!

2010-09-22T12:43:00.005-04:00

A terrific photojournalism workshop takes place this weekend in St. Petersburg at the St. Pete Times auditorium. New York Times staff photographer and Pulitzer winner Todd Heisler headlines an all-star lineup of shooters, producers, picture editors and photo nerds who will be sharing their wisdom for a $100 entry fee.

More information including the line up and schedule can be found online here.

Kodachrome's Swan Song

2010-09-21T10:40:00.006-04:00

Those final three rolls of Kodachrome 64 sitting in my fridge will be shot today as I head out into the field to do portraits on a friend's cattle ranch. Time is of the essence as I read today on Parsons, Kansas-based Dwayne's Photo web site that they will cease processing Kodachrome on December 30, 2010. It is truly the end of an era in photography as the unmistakable color rendition of Kodachrome fades into history at the conclusion of 2010, the year that is actually the film's 75th anniversary.

With little surprise, the final production roll of Kodachrome was given to National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry to shoot and process. He shot the roll earlier this summer and recently processed it but the results will not be published until spring of 2011 as part of a Geographic story. National Public Radio did a story on McCurry on this last roll here.

Photo appears courtesy of Daniel Bayer of the Kodachrome Project

Nikon Goes 1080p for Pros?

2010-09-20T11:05:00.005-04:00

Seattle photographer Chase Jarvis' video piece "Benevolent Mischief" gives the impression that Nikon has finally created a pro DSLR tool capable of high production video. The D7000 announced last week will do full 1080p HD video at 24fps as well as allow for an audio in line. Although the sensor on the camera is the DX format, which gives a 1.5 magnification to lenses, the video quality seems to imply that Nikon shooters like myself finally have a tool for professional level video work. I look forward to seeing some comparisons of the video quality to that of the Canon 5dmkII, a full frame DSLR which has been on the market since late 2008. Hopefully, Nikon is finally catching up.

Here is the video piece "Benevolent Mischief" courtesy of You Tube.

The Ultimate Photographer's Coffee Cup

2010-09-09T11:50:00.009-04:00

It's no secret that photographers often live or die on location as a result of being acutely attuned to their environment. Coffee has aided me in that process on countless occasions with early morning location work. A few years ago, I even used a Starbucks venti cup as a lighting snoot when doing a location portrait. I was in a pinch and it saved me.

Nick Lucey, a good friend and host of the upcoming second season of Into the Drink, shared a link to a cool new coffee mug fashioned after Canon 24-105mm lens. One of several slick gimmicky items for sale online at Photojojo! Store, the Camera Lens Mug is the ultimate mug for any photographer's cup of Joe.

Now that is one cool cup!

(photo appears courtesy of Photojojo! Store)

Sommelier Tom Kisthart Portrait Session

2010-08-22T14:03:00.014-04:00

One of the tenets preached by photography consultants is to shoot the subject matter that you want to be hired to shoot commercially. As a self-professed "foodie," I've started shooting restauranteurs, sommeliers and executive chefs to bolster my existing environmental portrait portfolio. I'm hoping to flow these images into my new book that will go to the printer in December.

My friend Tom Kisthart and I got together early Saturday morning and thanks to Kevin Pelley at Sidebern's, we had an opportunity to use the restaurant and wine shop to set the scene for Tom's environmental portrait. Lots of terrific tungsten spot lighting behind the bar and along the wine shelves created a warm atmosphere to craft a sense of Tom and his work as a wine master.

Author Portrait - Mark Walters

2010-08-18T15:04:00.009-04:00

Shooting environmental portraits on location is arguably my favorite assignment as a photographer and a recent session with author Mark Jerome Walters was a nice reminder of the joy of this type of collaboration. A communications professor at the University of South Florida, Walters is a rare amalgam of journalist, veterinarian and communications professor. I worked with him two years ago on a shoot promoting his research into modern plagues for a magazine article and when he completed his recent book on communications for medical professions, he asked me to capture an author portrait for the back cover.

Medical imagery is often clean, hygienic and sterile and a nursing building proved to be an ideal scene-setter for the portrait collaboration. The soft, clean background with patient benches worked well to define Mark and the thrust of his new book. I was honored to be involved and look forward to future creative partnerships.

For more information on his books including his most recent "Seeking the Sacred Raven: Politics and Extinction on a Hawaiian Island" can be found on his Amazon page.

Publication Day "Common Nonsense"

2010-05-24T12:51:00.009-04:00

If you walk into Barnes and Noble, Border's or, ideally, your local niche bookseller today, you'll likely find a copy of "Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance," the first book by Alex Zaitchik, my roommate from sophomore year at Trinity College in Connecticut. Last year when I traveled to El Mirador in Guatemala on assignment, Alex came down to Tampa from Brooklyn to housesit and begin researching the life and backstory of Glenn Beck.

In case you've been living out of the country or somehow failed to view a news web site within the past year, Beck is a conservative author, radio host, television host and pundit who has courted controversy with his avowed anti-Obama, anti-big government ideology. Beck is widely published and his books are routinely big sellers that crack the NY Times bestseller list, often debuting in pole position.

After spending the bulk of last summer interviewing Tampa radio personalities (Beck got his start in Tampa before ascending the ranks of Clear Channel), Alex began crafting the story of Beck from his early drug-fueled failure as a morning DJ to his seismic ascension to prime time. Within six months of starting the project, the book's earliest draft was completed and Alex requested that I take his picture for the dust jacket. I captured his portrait in an alley in Ybor City, behind King Corona cafe where Alex penned much of the book in a fog of cigar smoke.

So, today is the official publication date and Alex's triumphant first publication is in widespread circulation. Check it out at amazon here: Common Nonsense

Notes from the Field: NSF Project in Guatemala

2010-03-15T16:46:00.002-04:00

Two rivers, terraced lush sloping hills and soil rich with volcanic ash and iron drew the Olmec and later Maya tribes to settle at the site now known as Takalik Abaj outside El Asintal in Guatemala. The site, which means "Standing Stones," features several lush terraces and a great variety of carved stonework featuring glyphs, Mayan script and images of deities and kings.

I was invited to join a team of archaeologists led by Travis Doering and Lori Collins and their graduate students who were working on a National Science Foundation grant – “The Takalik Abaj Stone Monument Project.” Archaeology typically conjures notions of lost tombs, scientists in tan fedoras digging with spades and pick axes. Our work at Takalik Abaj, which is a national park in Guatemala, focused on using short and long range laser scanners and photography in tandem to capture a total corpus of data for use by researchers and students of Meso-American antiquity.

Despite falling ill three days prior to departure and then while on site coming down with a 24-hour illness that left me feverish with seasick symptoms, I rallied and was able to pull my weight for the project. I concentrated on location photography — documenting the stela, glyphs and monuments using location lighting and light raking — from Wednesday, February 24 to Monday, March 1. Using Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS) along with OnOne’s Remote DSLR software for the iPhone, I was able to set up complex two and three-strobe photo set ups and then trigger the camera on the tripod remotely via the iPhone using Liveview mode. This proved incredibly effective for capturing overhead angles of Mayan altars, stela and glyphs.

Headquarters for the project was Finca Buenos Aires, a coffee plantation that sits on a terrace not 200 yards from the park. The farm is owned by Felippe Guzman, a close friend of Professor Doering, and is the home to more than 80 people who tend the coffee harvest and rubber tree farming. Constructed from a 1913 Sears and Roebuck kit house, the hacienda overlooks a pair of volcanoes and features a wraparound porch complete with a handmade hammock. The deafening whine of the chicharra, a Guatemalan cicada that is hatched from the ground and lives a short life burrowing into palm trees, permeated our evening gatherings around the laptops on the porch.

To complete the project and acquire as complete of data set as possible, we spent the majority of the second week at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography photographing stela and monuments from Takalik Abaj that are housed in the museum’s permanent collection. Due to technical difficulties with one of the short range scanners at the museum, the team relied on my abilities with a new technique known as Reflectance Transformation Imagery (RTI). RTI is a technique that uses variable light positions from more than 50 still images to create a file that acts much like a laser scan. Once the file is completed, a viewer can control and rake light from a variety of angles to reveal surface detail on the stones that cannot be seen with the naked eye. With the amazing results that often come from scanners, it’s nice to know that still imagery, and now RTI, remains an important component and tool in the H3D arsenal.

The trip concluded with a short jaunt over the mountains to Antigua, the old city and former epicenter of the Central American Spanish kingdom. Truly a photographer’s dream, Antigua is home to more than 500 churches, the majority of which are in a state of ruined grandeur due to the seismic grumblings of the volcanoes that encircle it. Known as the “land of eternal spring,” Antigua’s dwellings are shaped with open-air courtyards as architectural centerpieces as the cool mountain air keeps the temperature calming and cool.

With the approach of holy week, the pre-festivities were beginning with parades in the evening and I was fortunate to stumble into two of them to make pictures. The color in the evenings, enhanced by the smoke of burning cane fields on the coastal plain that drift between the peaks, was rich with saturation. Women in the traditional Mayan traje, rich hand-woven colorful textiles, sell their wares in open air markets and often get annoyed at camera-toting tourists who snap their portrait without paying a stipend or making a donation.

The most pervasive memory I have of those final days in Antigua is not of the motorcycle that I nearly flipped on a tangled mess of rock and dirt that locals mislabeled a road. Instead, it came on an unexpected late evening walk back to the Casa Noble hotel when we passed the open air former laundry fountain called Tanque de la Union. Here, in the sodium vaporlight, a woman in a bridal dress and flip flops sat atop one of the central wash basins, her body framed in the archway, her veiled head sunken into her hands. As we drew close, it became apparent that here was the denouement of an incomplete ceremony.

The camera hung at my side and, for a brief second, I reached for it but couldn’t bring it to my eye as the enormity of that moment shook me. I let it fall to my side and continued up the cobbled streets.

For more information on the project:

The Expedition Journal for the project appears here: http://aistexpeditionjournal.wordpress.com/

The Alliance for Integrated Spatial Technologies Flickr page with documentary images of the field work can be accessed here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aist/

USF web site article on the project:
http://usfweb3.usf.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=2091&z=110

NSF Grant page:
http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0911078

Background info on Takalik Abaj:
http://www.guatemala-times.com/archeology/takalik-abaj.html
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0405/feature4/
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0405/feature4/map.html

USF Oracle newspaper article:
http://www.usforacle.com/research-from-mayan-ruins-may-fuel-learning-1.2193367

Portrait of a Dancer

2010-03-09T11:38:00.010-05:00

Sarah Lehmker and I bonded with talk of Paris so when it became time to do her portrait, I wanted a clean, crisp studio portrait as well as an action shot. Dance studios are full of mirrors so the lighting layout proved to be a bit of a challenge but the idea of using her reflection allowed for a spin on a more typical approach. We used a snoot aimed at the reflected face to fill the shadow and a set of lights through a diffusion scrim to provide the overall primary scene lighting.

With the remaining time that we had in the studio, we decided to have Sarah do some leaps and jumps into the light. These images were all about timing and preset focus and the results were very successful. Had I the opportunity to rethink this shoot, I would've installed several remote lights in the ceiling and triggered them remotely using a stroboscopic approach to the lighting.

Photojournalism Workshops in Haiti?

2010-02-11T22:59:00.015-05:00

A few years ago, I was fortunate to be invited to the Eddie Adams Workshop, arguably the most competitive photojournalism workshop in the country. I felt my age a bit at the conference as I was fresh out of graduate work on my MFA and many of my fellow students were undergraduates at the nation's top photojournalism schools. I was blown away by some of the portfolios and amazed at the quality and vision of the camera work.

One of my fellow attendees shared that he had willfully driven into the path of Katrina in the hopes of using photography to document the aftermath. He made it as far as Mississippi before riding out the brunt of the impact in a county courthouse near Waveland. I thought it cavalier, loading a cooler and cameras into a car and driving into a category five storm. He mentioned proudly that National Geographic had run one of his images at approximately 1/8th of a page. I was incredulous and it occurred to me with great clarity that this young man's mother would be horrified had she heard his story. I later noticed before the workshop concluded that the intrepid photographer before me was showing some indications of post-traumatic stress as he hung aloof from the rest of the attendees.

Later that night then NY Times photographer Vncent Laforet shared images that he had taken in New Orleans immediately following Katrina. Choking back tears, Laforet grabbed the house that night and never let go until the last image came down. Taking questions after the presentation, he was asked what he thought of students who had driven into the certain danger in hopes of capturing decisive moments of the the apocalyptic misery and carnage he had witnessed. Laforet said that he felt it was dangerous and would likely lead them to a reliance on rescuers or volunteers. Really, they would be an addition to the problem.

This memory from EAW came back to me this week when I ran across a blog by a photojournalist named Zoriah offering a photojournalism workshop in Haiti for four aspiring photographers able to sign up and pay $4,000 each for an insider's opportunity at capturing the aftermath of the earthquake. The response from the photojournalism community has been swift in condemnation. Despite the willingness of the photographer to provide half of the money raised to a local Haitian charity, he is essentially profiting off the tragedy in a way that I personally find to be irresponsible.

The photojournalists who cover natural disasters, war and human conflict are the very elite of the profession, shooters who typically have the technical skills and the thick skin to use a camera in a highly-trained way amidst chaos, suffering and, sometimes, errant bullets. The notion of bringing aspiring photographers into the aftermath of Haiti so they can build their portfolios and learn how to "work in disaster zones and other difficult and dangerous situations" is nothing short of reckless.

As a profession, photojournalism is under threat of becoming obsolete in the emerging migration to digitized media and the climate of "free" that dominates information distribution on the web. A great number of talented photojournalists are trying to adapt to this new environment as newsrooms continue to be downsized. The winners in this time of transition will be those who can innovate and leverage their skill set within the context of the new media environment. Teaching workshops to the growing masses of photo enthusiasts is a great concept, a personable way of sharing one's vision, talent and passion with an eager audience. Doing this in one of the most impoverished countries in the Caribbean, when the post-earthquake rebuilding and reconstruction are in their infancy, is exploitative and opportunistic and, as Laforet cautioned at the EAW, just adding insult to a difficult situation.

Stepping down from the soapbox now.....

More info can be found here:

Photojournalism Workshops in Haiti

Huffington Post

Journalism and Society Blog

Wired Magazine online

One of the Men who Brought Down Bundy

2010-02-09T12:42:00.014-05:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of photographing Leonard Territo, one of the key homicide advisors who brought serial killer Ted Bundy to trial and conviction. Territo began as a motorcycle officer in Tampa in the 1960s before moving up the ranks in law enforcement, eventually becoming a professor of criminology at St. Leo University and a professor emeritus at the University of South Florida.

Getting to meet and then hang out with someone like Leonard Territo is one of the highlights of working as a photographer at a university that is really the size of a small town. Indeed, USF has its own zip code - 33620. Professor Territo was a terrific person to spend an hour with and he was quick to share some images from the Bundy trial, one of Bundy "grinning" as the indictment was read as well as one of Bundy post-execution. "He wasn't grinning in that one," said Territo.

Unfortunately, we were tasked with photographing professor Territo in a 60-year old butcher block classroom. Picture white boards, white walls and desks. To create an interesting portrait, my assistant Aimee Blodgett recommended posing him by a tackboard and desk. Having only 40 minutes to work before a class began, I used a small grid spot with a diffuser to add drama to Territo's face. We then gelled a background light and fired it through a 14 inch HONL snoot so it scattered warm light on the background. You'd never guess it was a bland classroom. Photography like this is all about what you don't show.

In addition to writing several criminology texts and texts on police personnel management, Territo is the recent co-author of "Ivory Tower Cop," a fictional account of a sexual violence expert who joins the Miami police department to solve a crime. He is currently at work on his second collaboration with co-author George Kirkham entitled "The Paper Man."

Ron Haviv at Poynter, January 27, 2010

2010-01-15T15:53:00.003-05:00

In Praise of Good Assistants

2009-12-10T17:31:00.006-05:00

My success as a photographer has never come alone as I'm always aided by assistants who schlep gear and typically catch things that I miss in the styling of imagery. Since October of 2006, photographer Aimee Blodgett has worked alongside me at the University of South Florida, toiling with me both on location and in the office. She's saved me on photo shoots more times than I can remember and nowadays she's always one step ahead of me. During my two years as an assistant working for Joseph Byrd Photographers in Savannah, Georgia, I always strived to be one step ahead of him, anticipating problems and generally trying to make his life behind the camera as easy as possible. Aimee does this for me on a daily basis and she is the consummate team player. More importantly, she tolerates sitting for me during the thousands of lighting tests that we have to do both on location and in the studio. The picture above is one of my favorite outtakes from a portrait session for a football player.

During the 2009 football season, I was fortunate to have Chad Cullen, a bright young USF student whose father I sailed with briefly, join me on the sidelines for the USF home football games. Shooting Big East football requires a photographer that can move and think quickly and it also is equipment intensive. Chad stayed at my side for most of the games and would handle the 300mm and monopod when the action started getting close. He also helped me schlep gear to the scoreboard and upper decks when trying for panoramics or other unique vantage points. Chad was a great addition to our team this season and kept us entertained as he would shoot the games himself with a rangefinder or homemade panoramic camera, pushing film to the limits of exposure range. I look back over the successes of the season and I'm grateful for Chad's assistance.

Reflectance Transformation Imaging

2009-11-06T13:07:00.016-05:00

Just spent a week in the Dogpatch section of San Francisco learning Reflectance Transformation Imaging with Cultural Heritage Imaging. Utilizing traditional digital photographic techniques and a computational photography algorithm, this technique allows for the synthesis of over 36 individual images, each shot with light from a unique incident angle, into a single image file that can be filtered and viewed with control of the light source. The method depends on the use of black spheres that are placed in the mise-en-scene to capture light position by virtue of the highlight that is captured.

RTI files are extremely useful in accessing surface detail of stone and wood surfaces, often revealing elements that are invisible to the naked eye. The process is relatively simple to do in studio and can be adapted to archaeology work in the field as it functions as an alternative means of capturing 3D spatial data that is typically only revealed using laser scanning technologies.

The four day workshop was led by Carla Schroer (pictured in blue) and Marlin Lum (left) at Cultural Heritage Imaging's warehouse location. The instruction was comprehensive and well-paced and allowed for several opportunities to shoot and process RTI files of heritage objects including Roman coins, an aboriginal boomerang, a hand-chiseled spear point as well as a crenelated door frame of an old SF building. Carla and Marlin were incredible instructors and the workshop was a terrific, informative experience, one that I would recommend to other photographers whose work involves archaeology, museum collections or cultural heritage imaging. Yosi R-Pozeilov (far right), photographer for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, worked with me all week creating light set ups and processing RTI files.

Upon my return to Tampa, I look forward to experimenting with RTI with artifacts from the anthropology department's collection. In combination with photogrammetry, this new skill set should prove invaluable upon upcoming archaeology field work in 2010.

Image courtesy of Marlin Lum/C-H-I

Raymond James Stadium Panoramic

2009-10-26T16:30:00.007-04:00

Two weeks ago, Raymond James Stadium and then #21 ranked University of South Florida Bulls hosted the #7 ranked University of Cincinnati Bearcats. The game was the featured matchup for Thursday night ESPN Primetime football and I was tasked with photographing it. Sports Information Director Christ Freet challenged me to shoot a horizontal panoramic of the stadium that captured the stadium filled to near capacity.

After doing some research and chatting with fellow sports photographer J. Meric, I positioned myself next to the 50-yard line ESPN camera at the top of club level seating. Using a tripod and my Nikon D3 with a 10.5 mm fisheye, I shot a five image bracket with the camera mounted to shoot vertical images. I did these three separate times to capture a total of 15 images, three for each piece of the stadium that I then intended to stitch together for the panoramic. The 10.5 mm was more than adequate to capture the field of play in one shot but I wanted the longest possible pano and I wanted to try and use High Dynamic Range to open up the shadows in the foreground.

Today, I processed the fifteen images using HDR to create three high resolution images of the stadium. These images combined to form a panoramic from end zone to end zone of Raymond James Stadium. Adobe Photoshop's Photomerge failed to automatically stitch the images successfully so I used Arcsoft's Panorama Maker 5 to combine them into a coherent image. My only regret is the ESPN camera that pokes into the frame at far left, obscuring a few rows of club level seats.

Top Ten Photography Books

2009-09-08T09:34:00.001-04:00

Ten of the best photography-related books to appear in the past few years are presented here with high praise and recognition. Most, if not all of these books, have relevance to both the technical and vision side of my work as a professional photographer on staff at the ninth largest university in the country. There are many other great photography books out there but this list represents ten of my favorites, the ones routinely jockeying for space on my nightstand, even though I’ve read them several times before.

1. “Evidence of my Existence” by James Lo Scalzo

A photographic memoir and autobiography of 17 years balancing the rigors of international reportage for US News and World Report against marriage and the upcoming birth of a child, “Evidence of My Existence” is an engrossing saga. It explores the challenges of devotion to photography with love and commitment to another person. “For me like so many other photojournalists, it was about the going,” writes Lo Scalzo of the wanderlust that drove him to the life of travel reportage. “It was about accepting a simple truth – in the world of photojournalism, I would always be a man of minor accomplishments but in the world of fatherhood, to one little boy at least, I had a chance to become legend.” A compelling read, Lo Scalzo’s self-exploration is a riveting piece, a captivating photo journey that you will be unable to put down. For more on info, visit Lo Scalzo book.

2. “Annie Leibovitz At Work” by Annie Leibovitz

The diva of celebrity photography, legend Annie Leibovitz holds a lasting place in the world of entertainment photography in the latter half of the 20th Century. Culled from conversations with editor Sharon Delano, “Leibovitz At Work” is a collection of off-the-cuff stories about famous photo sessions for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. These are the back-stories, the unspoken tales behind labor-intensive high production shoots and the talent that posed in front of Leibovitz’s lens. “At Work” provides insider access to the thought process of a great photographer working on location with the great luminaries of politics, cinema and art.

3. “Travel Photography” by Bob Krist

Traveling to new places with a camera is one of the sheer delights of being a professional photographer. As a frequent contributor to National Geographic Traveler, Bob Krist is one of the true masters of shooting images in foreign countries that compel a magazine reader want to book a trip. Touching on digital workflow on location but exploring the method of working with cameras in a foreign place, “Travel Photography” is a concise and well-crafted update to the Krist’s earlier classic “Spirit of Place.”

4. “Within the Frame” by David DuChemin

In sharp contrast to Krist’s “Travel Photography” comes a travel book about the journey of photographic vision¬—seeing in an advanced way when traveling to exotic locales with camera in hand. DuChemin’s writing is a rich exploration of the decision-making that leads to successful travel imagery. At the intersection of people, places and cultures, he is able to assert a vision of the world that is consistent, regardless of the destination. “It is a book about chasing your vision and telling your stories as clearly and passionately as possible with compelling photography,” writes DuChemin.

5. “The Photographer’s Survival Guide” by Suzanne Sease and Amanda Sosa Stone

Somewhere within each of our souls is the thought of striking out into the freelance arena as an independent photography professional. To make university photographer a livable career, many of us currently moonlight with editorial, corporate or wedding shoots. Photographer consultants Suzanne Sease and Amanda Sosa Stone are marketing gurus, a savvy duo of former art buyers whose “Survival Guide” demystifies the business side of the freelance industry. It covers the gamut from logo treatment to web design to promo cards to invoices and comes with a CD containing a variety of templates and essential forms.

6. “The Hot Shoe Diaries” by Joe McNally

A master of making little strobes perform like studio lights, Joe McNally’s “Hot Shoe Diaries” is an instructional masterpiece, a funny man’s take on the gear, the difficulties and the successful problem solving that comes in working on location with small flashes. Unlike his previous effort “The Moment it Clicks,” McNally shies away from the nostalgic stories behind the shoot and hones in on his technical approach to a variety of locations, all requiring external light. Many of the set-ups are similar to shooting conditions that university photographers and practicing photojournalists routinely face on the job.

7. “The Dam Book, second edition,” by Peter Krogh

To say that the new edition of “The Dam Book” is an update to the original version would be a major understatement. Coming in with 185 more pages related to file management and workflow, Peter Krogh’s newest is still the bible for university photographers grappling with image management, processing software, databases, storage and the dreaded click of hard drive failures. Chances are that if you have a question related to keywording, ITPC or EXIF data or RAID configurations, Krogh has been there and done it and lived to clarify it. A real boon to the book is Krogh’s web site, Dambook.com, which maintains an active forum which Krogh checks and monitors on a daily basis.

8. Michael Grecco “Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait”

A master of dramatic lighting for celebrity portraiture, Michael Grecco went from photojournalist to the top of the editorial and advertising world in short order. “Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait” covers the gamut of Grecco’s lighting approach to conceptual photo shoots. Early chapters detail equipment and camera technique but the real gems of the book are the lighting diagrams and case studies that provide insight into successful approaches to location work.

9. Robert Frank “The Americans” 50th Anniversary Reissue

Arguably the most important photography book of the 20th Century, Robert Frank’s “The Americans” 50th anniversary reissue was published by Steidl this year to coincide with the National Gallery’s 2009 traveling exhibition “Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans.” Hitchhiking and bouncing around the existential post-war 1950s America, Frank and his Leica captured an outsider’s gaze at a country seeking to redefine itself in the post-World War II atomic age. His singular vision, etched lyrically in the tones of black and white emulsion, is still inspiring and laden with relevance.

10. John Harrington’s “Best Business Practices for Photographers”

Whether you like it or not, it is business practices that often separate the successful photographer from the photographer making his living selling real estate. Well known on the web as the godfather of Photo Business News & Forum blog, John Harrington’s “Best Business Practices” is a thorough, textbook style exploration of all phases of creating and maintaining a successful photographic business.

Author Blogs
Several of the authors are hip to new trends in communication and their blogs are a wealth of useful content updated each week. All are worth bookmarking for weekly visits.

David DuChemin
John Harrington
Bob Krist
Peter Krogh
Joe McNally

Vanity Fair Cover Lighting

2009-08-21T17:06:00.009-04:00

Without a staff of assistants and the massive umbrellas and octoboxes that Annie Leibovitz routinely uses on her shoots, my assistant Aimee Blodgett and I created a photo set today to mimic Annie's Vanity Fair aesthetic. Using an umbrella and two strobe heads deflected through a Lastolite scrim, we were able to evenly light our four models, posed against a white stucco background with creeping ivy.

The finished product lacks the nuance of Annie's covers as she uses Box Studios to do the heavy pixel-lifting and retouching but I consider it successful. The shoot was undertaken as the lead image for a USF Magazine feature and it will likely be a consideration for the cover.

Athletics Media Guide Goes Interactive

2009-08-02T15:15:00.006-04:00

With the economic downturn hitting states like Florida the hardest, the athletics departments of several Florida public universities opted against printing their football media guides for the upcoming 2009-2010 season. The University of South Florida, where I currently work as the chief photographer, opted to save the $180,000 that it spent over the last two years on printed guide and go with a web-based interactive media guide. It can be viewed here: USF Media Guide.

I have been fortunate to establish a great working relationship with USF Assistant AD for Communications Chris Freet since he came to USF more than a year ago. I photographed a significant amount of the imagery in the guide over the past three seasons of USF football including images of Raymond James Stadium, Super Bowl XLIII and the USF Campus. "Your work carried the piece, thank you for your diligence," said Freet to myself and photographer J. Meric in an email.

Morning Bird

2009-07-31T09:15:00.007-04:00

I never seem to have the right lens to photograph the red tail hawks that tend to haunt the light poles on USF's campus. This morning, my camera and a 70-200 VR was on the passenger seat after my attempt at photographing the Thursday night regatta last night was foiled by weather.

Pulling into the light on Fowler and Leroy Collins this morning, I noticed an adult red tail perched on one of the light poles. Window down, lens with VR out the driver side and a few successful silhouettes of this beautiful, common raptor.

Failing at this Endeavour

2009-07-14T09:18:00.007-04:00

On my return drive to Tampa yesterday, I joined fellow photographer Jeremy Allen to shoot the launch of Space Shuttle STS-127 at Kennedy Space Center. Thanks to a friend we were able to join them at the actual Space Center, just a few miles from the launch pad. Unfortunately, the evening turned in to the fifth launch cancellation due to weather.

To try and get the tightest photograph possible, I put a 2x teleconverter on my 300mm/2.8 lens and used the Nikon D3's high speed crop mode. The 300 mm lens was then an effective 900mm lens but, unfortunately, the teleconverter severely compromises the sharpness of the image. The solution will involve trying to get a press credential for a future launch. Ideally, a shuttle launch before NASA scrubs the program in May of next year.

Promotion Ceremony of General Luis Visot

2009-07-07T11:40:00.005-04:00

Promotion Ceremony of General Luis Visot - Images by Joseph Gamble

On Sunday, I had the distinct pleasure of being the official photographer for the promotion ceremony of General Luis R. Visot from one-star to two-star Brigadier General in the US Army. Luis is a terrific person and a colleague of mine from the University of South Florida where his wife Cindy Visot works as the chief of staff for the university president. As Luis rose through the ranks as a citizen soldier in the Army Reserves, he has shared that career with the university. Thus, his promotion ceremony was held at the Joint Military Leadership Center on the campus of USF rather than in a military setting.

Images of Italy Photography Show

2009-06-15T11:16:00.005-04:00

My first exhibition of photographs in the Tampa area will occur on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at CORK Restaurant and Wine Bar in South Tampa. The color photographs were shot on location in Italy during extended trips in 2005 and 2008. The opening reception coincides with CORK's Wednesday night wine tasting and begins at 7:30 pm on June 24, 2009.

CORK is located at 406 S. Howard Avenue in Tampa, FL 336065. More info can be found online here: CORK

What Camera Should I Buy?

2009-06-12T13:40:00.011-04:00

I've had four friends ask me this very question as they all feel ready to upgrade from their point and shoot to a DSLR. The single lens reflex digital camera has long been priced out of their reach but technical advances and production improvements have brought these cameras into the sub-$1,000 mark. Although I am a dedicated Nikon shooter and use their DSLR cameras (D3, D700, D200, D70) for my professional work, I have no problem recommeding the products of other manufacturers. I am wedded to Nikon because I grew up shooting them and I'm married to the ergonomics of the camera - subcomand dials and focus locator are just in the right place for me. I actually bought the new Canon 5D mkII but couldn't get used to it and took it back for the Nikon D700. Anyway, I digress....

Look at the Panasonic GH1. Panasonic? Indeed. I am actually considering this camera for personal use (although I need a new camera like a hole in the head). Here is the link to the camera preview that appears on Digital Photography Review: Panasonic GH1

The camera comes out later this month. It's the smallest DSLR on the market but has a great chip in it and can shoot HD 1080p/24p with Dolby Digital Stereo video with autofocus. Light, portable but a performer. The 14-140mm lens will also cover most everything. It is a bad little camera that performs in a big big way.

The second suggestion would be the new Canon 500D/REbel T1i. Shoots HD Video 1080p/20fps and 15mp sensor. For the price and the performance, this camera is the full size DSLR to get, far superior to the Nikon D90 or equivalent. I would try and find these cameras and play with them and see what you think. Here is the Canon 500D review.

I don't have anything against Nikon but they are a smaller company that these other two and they are late to video (and Canon has been doing that for a long long time). I'm waiting on Nikon to catch up on the video thing.

Canon G10 at 1600 ISO

2009-05-14T17:15:00.010-04:00

A university photographer peer of mine inquired as to the performance of my Canon G10 in low light situations. I honestly do not shoot at 1600 ISO with the camera due to the high amount of noise in the files at that sensitivity. I rarely ever push the ISO above 400 as the camera's small chip is not engineered to perform like its larger DSLR cousins.

Here are a few examples of G10 files shot at 1600 ISO on the day that I purchased the camera last October. I used noise reduction in Adobe Camera Raw coupled with Noise Ninja's G10 profile and auto profile. The results are passable but less than ideal.

ISO 1600 with ACR Noise Reduction and Noise Ninja Auto Profile

ISO 1600 with ACR and Noise Ninja G10 1600 Profile

Canon WP-DC28 Underwater Housing

2009-04-01T17:43:00.017-04:00

A little over a week ago, I spent a week at sea as part of a scientific team tending buoys on the West Florida Shelf. In the process of cleaning and updating the instrumentation on these large structures, divers were employed to secure the ship's crane to the bottom mounts. To capture imagery of the diving, I took along a professional Ikelite D70s housing with DS-160 substrobe and the Canon WP-DC28 for my Canon G10.

In a previous blog entry, I gave a positive review to the Canon G10 as a multi-purpose compact camera. The housing is a positively buoyant shell that encases the camera snugly and has one yellow O-ring to secure the back plate. It's extremely easy to pop in the camera and with a plastic d-ring on each corner, you can easily secure a neck strap (for kayaking) or hand strap (for diving).

Due to poor visibility on the first dive and a ripping two knot current at the site on day two, I was never able to get the Ikelite system wet. My only option was to clip the Canon housing to my BC, stride into the blue and hope the O-ring held upon descent. The system worked extremely well on both efforts and was particularly useful for shooting over/under images at the waterline.

By presetting the focus with one of the two custom setting options on the G10, I was able to make successful images at the surface. No diopter, no problem. On the seafloor at 90 feet and without an external strobe, I was still able to make ambient exposures at f4.5 shooting at 400 ISO.

Did I miss my Ikelite housing with its wide-angle ports and all the power of the DS-160 strobe? Ofcourse. The Canon WP-DC28 allowed me the good fortune of being able to make pictures, shoot RAW, and come back with successful images that could be used in both print and web. It's a great investment and makes for tremendous fun when out at the pool on a hot Florida day.

Sam Abell at Poynter, January 10

2009-01-05T21:40:00.002-05:00

iPhone 3G: The Missing Piece

2008-12-17T11:26:00.007-05:00

Don't get me wrong... I love my iPhone 3G. As a long time TREO user (180>600>750) but a user of Macintosh computers exclusively for my work as a photographer, I was elated to ditch my Sprint contract in July and get the iPhone. It was tricky at first but after four days of tinkering with it and finally figuring out how to control battery life, I have loved the device. It is THE phone for creatives.

There is one gripe that I have with the device and, sadly, it could be easily remedied by a third party hardware developer. The device needs a portable, fold up keyboard. I had one for my Treo 600 and loved it as I could crank emails and texts in the airport when traveling. The touch screen on the iPhone is incredible but, like many former Treo users who switched to 3G, I miss the QWERTY keyboard.

So when the iPhone external keyboard is released in 2009, I'll be among the first to get one. Let's hope somebody makes one.

The Ultimate Travel Camera? Canon's G10

2008-12-16T16:28:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly six months since my last post and in an effort to hone my writing skills and contribute to the growing legion of photographers blogging up the web, I'm making a pact to write more. Topics will be less travel-centric but focused more on my dual passions: photography and travel. Anyway....

One of the critical pieces of gear for any trip, regardless of the destination, is a camera.. or, in my usual instance, a pair or cluster of cameras that I forcibly restrict to a small Lowe Pro backpack. As an avid sea kayaker, however, I love having a point and shoot that I can plop in a plastic housing and use for shooting from the cockpit when on the water. While I routinely shoot with Nikon DSLR cameras, I used a Canon digital Elph in a housing for the past two years when on the water until it died a few months ago.

So, a few weeks ago, I purchased the Canon G10, the point and shoot compact that shoots RAW files and has the sexy design that recalls the Leica M and Contax G series of cameras. Having seen files from its predecessor the G9 and heard the buzz about it from peers, I had high hopes that the G10 would be the ultimate travel camera. National Geographic ran a double truck of Peter Hessler's G7 night shot of Shanghai on page 52/53 of the May 2008 China issue. Outside magazine ran a double truck of Rolando Garibotti's G9 shot of Patagonian Torre Traverse. I was hoping for the one-size-fits-all camera in a tiny rangefinder style body, the type of tool that would allow for street portraiture one minute and hand-held low light 1600 ISO in a church the next minute.

The G10 doesn't totally deliver. Above 200 ISO, the files start to show noise in the blacks and anything above 800 ISO seems no better than a file pulled from a camera phone. Pretty useless. So, the low light stuff cannot be hand-held as it can with my larger, heavier DSLRs. My second gripe comes from landscape shooting. Last week I was shooting city skyline images and had my lensmate cable release coupler set with a release and then I realized the camera cannot shoot in bulb mode. So the limit for opening the shutter is 15 seconds. I was definitely a bit bummed. These are the two limitations of the G10 that could be improved in later iterations.

Despite these misgivings, I'm really enjoying the G10 as it works well as a portable take-everywhere camera. With my Domke/Canon strap, it is totally inconspicuous on the shoulder. The bombproof shell of the camera allows you to throw it into a shoulder bag when in a hurry or gingerly place it on a tripod and manually focus. It's an incredible replacement for my old Elph as my kayak camera and will doubtless make for an ideal snorkel camera with Canon's dedicated housing.

So, is the G10 the ultimate travel camera? I think it comes closer than any compact camera thus far on the market with the possible exception of the Panasonic LX-3. I'll be carrying mine with me pretty much everywhere I go these days. As Jay Maisel said once at a seminar, "You want to make good pictures, take the camera for a walk."

I look forward to seeing where my G10 leads me.

2.5 sec at f/8.0, ISO 80

1/6 sec at f/3.2, ISO 400, Hand-held

1/50 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100

Where the Hell is Matt?

2008-07-14T11:15:00.001-04:00

I use this post to give kudos to the internet dance superstar known as Matt. Thanks to the corporate involvement of Stride Gum, the quirky jig created by a 31 year-old college dropout from Connecticut has become an internet phenomenon. To watch the movie, splicing clips from his around-the-world odyssey, check out Where the Hell is Matt?

I admire anyone who can convince a corporation to bankroll two around-the-world trips. Kudos to Matt!

Wine & Drugs

2008-05-30T04:25:00.001-04:00

Leaving Amalfi this morning for the EuroStar train from Napoli to Firenze, I felt a tinge of regret for not having an opportunity to motor out to the island of Capri. Heavy seas caused by North African winds kept all tour (and dive) boats at bay so we spent our time yesterday in the colorful town of Positano. It was a worthy consolation.

Despite the cool sea winds, it is hot here in May so our group got out early to explore the city streets so we could relax at Hotel Onda Verde during siesta when shops close and Italians seek refuge from the scorching heat. The town itself blooms up along the terraced hillsides from the central Spiagge beach where vacationers sun beneath colorful striped umbrellas. Here the day boats connect the mass of tourists bussing along the snake-like coastal SS163 to the offshore refuge of Capri. The boutiques that line the spiraling streets of Positano – often a stampeding maelstrom of scooters, tour buses and SmartCars – cater to tourists with an array of clothes, galleries and restaurants. The town itself has a reputation for its unique beach sandals and I ended up coming home with a pair of wine-colored leather sandals that were, nonetheless, made in Spain.

We escaped the sweltering heat that rises to crescendo at midday by ducking into the air-conditioned comfort of Ristorante Bruno to enjoy a pasta lunch with proscuitto and mozzarella. The orange Interno Positano bus shuttled us north to “the Toaster” and we survived the many hair pin turns en route back to the hotel.

One of the highlights of the trip without a doubt was the afternoon swim in Praiano Bay. My stepbrother and I jumped off the cliff below the hotel and swam among the moored fishing boats and into the rocky cove known as Praiano beach. The sound of rocks lolling up and down the strand in the crashing tide will stay with me for many nights to come. Here on Praiano Bay, we met Rafaelo, a local divemaster and boat captain. “Here we dive the walls because it is so deep here,” he said. “Only one shipwreck but it is in Positano.” Earlier that morning we had seen dolphins feeding among the breaking waves among the boats dotting the seascape.

Once tiny fishing villages, Positano and Amalfi further south are known for the lemon groves that speckle the cliffside as well as hand-painted ceramics. Along with an olive oil marinade, the fresh Amalfi lemons are a wonderful compliment to seafood dinners of fresh prawns, anchovies, calamari and snapper. They are the key ingredient in the ice-cold Lemoncino aperitifs that, along with gelato, complete many Italian meals.
I had a great time along the Amalfi Coast but the real gemstone of the experience was my afternoon in Ravello, perched seven kilometers north of Amalfi. It was here that I met the duo Reno and Blanko, the Italian equivalent of wine sherpas who have scoured all regions of Italy to bring back the best wine for their shop, Wine & Drugs in Ravello.

“You want to try some wine?” asked Blanko when he eyed me pausing to make a picture of the “Wine & Drugs” wooden sign. “I think I would,” I answered without hesitation and soon all five of us were sipping Chianti Classico, Rosso, Brunello as well as dessert wines and grappa. I bought a bottle of 2003 Sorugo from Brunello that I hope to pack for the trip back as it was one of the best Italian wines that I have ever enjoyed. “This is the drugs,” said Blanko of the Brunello. He was right.

From Rome to Amalfi

2008-05-27T07:57:00.000-04:00

When I arrived at Villa Grazioli in Frascati, just south of Roma, I was overjoyed that the long travel day was over. The beginning of a trip can often forecast its outcome. It depends to a great extent on one’s attitude when dealing with the unexpected arrows of misfortune. Within minutes of landing at Fiumcino Airport in Rome, a day prior to my own arrival, my mother was the victim of a pair of cunning thieves in the baggage claim. A carry-on was snatched containing all her credit cards, two cell phones and two pairs of prescription glasses. Thankfully, the passports were stashed elsewhere. I felt awful for her upon learning this news when checking in at Villa Grazioli on Friday but she had a good attitude about it and was determined not to let a minor misfortune bankrupt the promise of two weeks in Italia.

Set in the hills above Frascati, just south of Rome, Villa Grazioli is a grand palace with an expansive view of the valley below the Roman interior. I could not envision a better place to pop a bottle of Chianti, indulge an antipasti and just sit among the iron tables watching the sun rise and set. The day was half-finished by the time I got settled into my room and dressed for dinner. After a two-stop train ride into Termini, we hopped a bus to Trastevere and had a full Italian dinner at Sabbatini’s in Piazza San Maria. Sabbatini himself served up the pasta and poured bottles of Chianti and Rosso. It was a hearty meal capped off by gelato from Blue Ice gelateria across the Piazza. The dinner group – all nine of the attendees for the wedding of my stepbrother and his fiancé – stumbled accidentally into San Maria church and listened to the angelic singing from a service in progress. We headed home to rest up for the wedding day.

After bouncing from site to site around Rome with my stepsister Rise, we had a late lunch at the highly recommended L’Archetto di Spaghetteria on Via Del’Archetto just north of Piazza Navona. We sat outside in the hot sun along a strand of tables and enjoyed plates of spaghetti as we watched our waiter dodge Alfas, Peugots, BMWs and the wide array of scooters that careened up the street.

Although I was technically on holiday, I was in Rome to photograph my stepbrother Brad Fanger’s wedding to Lisa Katze at Villa Grazioli. The photographs and blog posting of their wedding photographs appears here: DVB Blog. A light overcast afternoon sun combined with the overwhelming photo opportunities on the grounds of the villa led to a portfolio of strong wedding images. It was a very moving ceremony, the nine of us in a long, frescoed hallway on the second floor, followed by cocktails in the garden and a seated dinner in a private room of the villa. By one o’clock in the morning, we were all sipping from the third bottle of Fontadenna sparkling wine as we shared stories around a hearth in the main lobby.

The final day in Rome centered on our midday reservation for the Museo e Galleria Borghese in the Villa Borghese. My patience for art museums in Europe can be short but this museum, tucked in the heart of the park north of the Spanish Steps, is an overwhelming visual feast. The entire villa, under the ownership of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, was transformed into a hallway of masterpieces — the marble works of Bernini, as well as the paintings of Coreggio and Caravaggio — with vaulted ceilings covered with paintings and scenes from Greco-Roman religious lore. It was an unexpected and overwhelming two-hour amble through these halls.

The travel day to the Amalfi coast, with a stopover at the near-deserted ruins of Herculaneum, was fraught with near-death collisions on the Autostrada. With half the wedding party gone, the bride and groom, my mother and stepfather and I crowded into a four-door Opel nicknamed "the Toaster." Tensions flared, the TomTom was guilty of misdirection, Depends undergarments were almost needed on more than one occasion but we finally reached Onda Verde Hotel in Praiano intact. Italian driving is fast and dangerous and then faster.

Amalfi is breathtaking. Perched on a chaise lounge on Onda Verde’s upper deck, the sloping, terraces along the coast are breathtaking, regardless of the time of day. You keep a camera with you at all hours of the day, photographing and re-photographing the shoreline to capture the essence of the place and the light that is a perfect compliment to the emotions of the moment.

Off to Italia

2008-05-22T13:12:00.000-04:00

Leaving for Rome, Italy today and hoping to actually use this blog for its intended purpose - providing a narrative of adventures from the field, complete with photographs.

The gate agent is calling my zone. Off to Italia...

New Airline Fees... Just in time for Summer Travel

2008-05-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

The following is a list of new airline fees that kick off just in time for that trip you planned for summer. Who knew a second bag was now a luxury? Airline mergers will soon limit the travel playing field and with diminished competition comes less competitive pricing on fares.

Air Canada: $25 each way for a second checked bag starting May 15.
AirTran: $10 each way for a second checked bag starting May 15.
Alaska Airlines and Horizon: $15 to book flights through reservation agents or airport sales desk starting May 21.
American Airlines: $25 each way for a second checked bag starting May 12; $3 for snacks, $5 for "fresh light meals" on domestic flights (sandwiches or wraps, no vegetarian options); eliminated online booking bonus of 500 miles for round-trip first- or business-class tickets, and 250 miles for round-trip coach fares.
Continental: $25 each way for a second checked bag starting May 5.
Delta: $25 each way for a second checked bag starting May 5; airline provides complimentary snacks, but some snacks and meals cost an extra $1 to $8, depending on the item.
JetBlue: $10 for extra legroom, and $20 each way for a second checked bag starting June 1.
Northwest: $25 each way for a second checked bag starting May 5.
Spirit: $10 fee for checked luggage reserved online, and a $20 fee for luggage checked at the airport.
Southwest: $25 each way for a third checked bag, and $50 for the fourth through ninth bags.
United: $25 each way for a second checked bag; $5 for snack boxes, with sandwiches and salads available at varying prices; increased ticket change fee; Saturday night stays are now required for tickets in 65 percent of the markets it serves.
US Airways: $25 each way for a second checked bag; eliminated the 500-mile minimum mileage award granted for short-haul flights; will charge between $5 and $30 each way for aisle and window seats starting May 7, matching other carriers.
Virgin America: $25 each way for a second checked bag starting May 15.

Walks of a Lifetime

2008-05-01T03:01:00.000-04:00

In late June of last year I traveled to Chicago for professional development as my attendance at the University Photographers' of America Association annual symposium was sponsored by the university where I serve as chief photographer. Although the majority of my week was spent in the small hamlet of Burr Ridge where Moraine Valley Community College played host to the more than 75 photographers in attendance, I, nonetheless, had two days to explore the city alone.

Chicago is an easy city to love and after a burger at the Billy Goat Tavern, the intimate Ryan Adams show at the 299-seat Victory Biograph Theater and a generous display of soccer hooliganism at the Copa D'Oro hosted by Soldier Field, I didn't want to leave. One of my pre-trip, travel-geek discoveries definitely came in handy during my day after the conference ended.

National Geographic Traveler publishes podcasts via iTunes called "Walks of a Lifetime." These 20-minute narrative itineraries by journalist Rudy Maxa provide an informative accompaniment to a leisurely stroll through one of 25 major cities. You download, sync to your iPod, pop in your earbuds and take your camera for a walk along a route guaranteed not to disappoint. When you've only got one day to see a city, take the "Walks of a Lifetime" with you. It's a terrific companion. I'm definitely looking forward to next month's walk through Rome.

Sudden Journeys

2008-03-25T09:13:00.000-04:00

Kyle Anderson, one of my close and favorite friends, lives the life of the tour guide, an inveterate traveler leading groups of high school students on week-long journeys to discover a European country and its history. Kyle is a tour coordinator and trip leader for Joshua Expeditions, a non-profit Christian organization founded for the purpose of assisting schools and churches in bringing the world to young people.

A great writer and talented photographer, Kyle would routinely send long emails, complete with pictures, updating all of her friends on her travels. She recently replaced this long-winded electronic prose with her blog Sudden Journeys. Be sure to check it out if you've got some time. I'm hoping to cross paths with Kyle in Italy during my travels there in late May and early June.

Photo appears courtesy of Kyle Anderson.

Shan's New Zealand Travels

2007-12-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

My good friend and adventure partner Shan Porte leaves next Thursday for a month-long odyssey around the south island of New Zealand. To say that I am jealous of her New Year jaunt would be an understatement. Shan is considering a permanent relocation to the south island so her trip is a fact-finding mission, a 'sussing' of the place. The blog of her travels can be read at Shan's NZ Travels.

A Vacation to Hell

2007-11-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

In early September Tybee Island kayaker Michael Robinson sent an e-mail encouraging me to vote for fellow paddlers Richard Davis and Dave White in their quest to win Immersion Research's second annual Vacation to Hell contest. I logged into the IR web site and soon watched a reggae-filled video of my adventure chums paddling the Oregon coast and discussing their desire to mount whatever expedition IR could throw at them.

The Immersion Research Vacation to Hell is an adventure grant that challenges a paddle team of four to endure whatever sea/river expedition the company decides is appropriate to the daunting moniker "Vacation to Hell." Last year's winners - The Range Life - were sent on an August 2007 descent of the Rio Huallaga in Peru's Andes mountains, an un-run feeder of the Amazon. The account of their expedition can be read at Rio Huallaga.

Although Rich and Dave didn't claim IR's Vacation to Hell, I was excited to learn that Russell Farrow from my local shop, Sweetwater Kayaks, along with the same paddling buddies he accompanied on an expedition to Labrador in 2005 - Mark Prator, Tim Keen and Alain Cormier - were the winners. The team, nicknamed Team Sweetwater, is tasked with a fearsome dilemma - a 60-mile open water crossing from Baffin Island to Devon Island, the largest uninhabited island in the world, followed by a 45-mile portage from Devon's east shore to its west. Once back in their boats, their adventure will conclude with a 40-mile open water crossing to Ellesmere Island. A blog documenting their expedition can be found at Devon Island.

A recent USA Today article on the Vacation to Hell appears here: USA Today.

Across the Tasman?

2007-11-13T19:15:00.000-05:00

One of the last major untamed crossings for sea kayakers is the Tasman Sea, a hefty swath of cold, unforgiving water between Sydney, OZ and Auckland, New Zealand. Two Aussie grad students - Justin Jones and James Castrission - headed out nine days ago hoping to be the first to claim the honor. Their heavily-sponsored expedition, dubbed "Crossing the Ditch," will be the longest trans-oceanic crossing ever attempted in a tandem kayak. It's worth checking their web site just to see images of their custom-designed glass boat and learn the history of its construction. One of the expedition sponsors is a New Zealand company called Daestra, maker of a software called TracPlus that utilizes satellites to allow companies to track vessels in motion. Log onto Crossing the Ditch to chart their progress or read the frequent updates they are logging online via their sat link.

The widow of paddler Andrew McAuley might have a few words of caution for the duo as McAuley died earlier this year when his boat capsized within sight of the NZ coast and the completion of his journey. The prevailing consensus was that McAuley dozed off, dumped and was unable to right the boat.

More information on the life of Andrew McAuley and his Trans Tasman Kayak Expedition can be found on his web site at Tasman Solo. As you will learn, McAuley was a very experienced paddler and an accomplished adventurer.

KLR from Keys to NOLA

2007-11-13T09:12:00.001-05:00

Jeremy Allen, a former student of mine from the Academy here in Tampa and a great photographer, has decided to celebrate the end of his career in the military with an adventure ride on his Kawasaki KLR. After weeks of bike maintenance coupled with nights of methodical planning, Jeremy set out last Friday for Key West. Hist trip will then bank 180 degrees as he pushes across the southern Gulf states to New Orleans for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Jeremy's travels, along with his photodocumentation of the trip, can be followed online via the Adventure Rider web site at the following link: Florida Keys to New Orleans

The above photograph by Jeremy Allen is published here with his permission.

A Cool Adude

2007-10-06T19:51:00.000-04:00

When you travel with a camera and you pay attention to the fellow travelers boarding your flight, you might bump into a celebrity and have the opportunity to have your picture made alongside them. Such was the case in late June when I was flying out of Tampa to Chicago for the University Photographers' of America Annual Symposium and I ran into soccer phenom Freddy Adu. I grew up playing soccer in Georgia (even played on the U-14 team that won the state title) and I follow the US National Team as well as some MLS games.

Adu was heading back to Salt Lake City having returned from the U-20 World Cup in which we lost a tough match to Austria. I was probably the only person in the terminal with any clue that the young man striding from the ticket counter was Adu. I found him to be totally personable and a real nice guy. He graciously signed an autograph for me and allowed me a couple of pictures with him. He confided that he was soon headed to Benfica in Portugal and would be leaving MLS. Freddy's stint in Europe should help the US National Team's chances in 2010.

I am officially blogging...

2007-05-19T17:33:00.001-04:00

Guess I had to do it. Given that I will be traveling a bit this summer, I felt a blog was a good tool for musings from the road.