FIRST IMPRESSIONS = “Daa-amn!”
#Nikon #D500 is an absolute nonstop monster. Super quick autofocus, rips through frames and a HUGE buffer.
Almost, folks … almost.
Home on the brain.
I love the trees, cliffs, choppy water and patches of good light that you get during poor weather on South Coast beaches.
As we always said at the newspaper: No such thing as bad weather.
At Lilli Pilli Beach, NSW.
Want to see the colour? Head to instagram.com/benhasacat and please let me know which one you like more. Thankyou!
Going over a bunch of work from old, long-ago newspaper assignments. This shot was taking in March 2010. Something to do with a bizarre patch of soil in Tasmania that was absolutely teeming with the usually rare and bonus “lucky leaves”. According to tradition (and Wikipedia), each leaf is believed to represent something. The first is Faith, the second is Hope, the third is hope, and the fourth is Luck. Shot for The Advocate. Plenty more pix and stories where this came from. Some good. Some bad. Want me to keep sharing them?
This yarn on PetaPixel really got my attention this morning. It’s by Michael Clark and it tackles the thing that frustrates photographers the most about Instagram – why BRILLIANT photos earn less likes than other shots. Because, as Mr Clark puts it, “Instagram has flipped that script to some degree because it often rewards images that are good but not those that rise to a whole other level of excellence, which is why it is intensely debated and discussed among working pro photographers”.
Here it is: https://petapixel.com/2017/01/17/the-paradox-of-instagram/
Now for something local. This facebook post links to the best work by the photographers at my local newspaper (also my former employer). Eleanor, Jimmy and Mark produce beautiful work under the toughest of circumstances.
Click through and enjoy some mighty fine photojournalism here: https://www.facebook.com/bordermail/photos/a.10150280751455494.556355.95810110493/10158049438285494/?type=3&theater
ALSO – Jimmy and Mark are graduates of Wodonga TAFE. I’m always really proud to mention that.
Ben
Been learning Snapchat from my students, and getting extra tips off the unstoppable Tara Z of Joy’s Delights.
If you wanna watch and add the Oldest Guy on Snapchat, here’s some of what you’ll see. Hope to see you there.
Ben
This story is about our dog. We adopted him from the pound. He’s great, but both of us never really got the hang of walking with a lead.
Oh, and his name is Benji.
This is the second episode of a regular series of vids. Basically – I’m working my ass off to get better at video this year. Or die trying. Thanks for all the help and support as I get deeper into this video project. After the first vid, an Adobe Premier guru and a sound engineer have offered to help me iron out some kinks. I’m learning that if you put yourself at risk, it’s worth it!
Cheers and thanks,
Ben
(The song is called Life in Slow Motion by the incredible Whatfunk. http://www.whatfunk.com/about)
Bam! Here’s why I love Aaron Nace and Phlearn.
Awesome, reliable content that you can trust. I have no problems referring photographers to Mr Nace for further reading and as a place to update their knowledge.
The vid that dropped today shows one way to set up your Mac computer that will hopefully maximise efficiency … especially if you are a photographer.
(Between you and I, I was quietly chuffed to see a couple of things I do and recommend to our photographers echoed here. Score!)
Enjoy and share the vid. And thank you again, Mr Nace!
Ben
I’m really going for it – I’m going to try and become a better video maker.
Wish me luck.
Ben
Two really cool articles via PetaPixel today.
One is about a lawyer who rewrote Instagram’s terms and conditions into language children (and adults like me) could understand. It’s a great read that clearly lets you know what you are in for when you sign up with Instagram.
The second tackles that mythical beast for many of us … How much DPI (dots per inch) is enough? It’s by Thomas Kuoh, and it’s a no-nonsense practical video that should hopefully have you breathing a sigh of relief at the end of it.
Hope you enjoy and learn from these links.
Ben
These articles really resonated with me today. First was a video from Todd Wolfe (@iamtoddwolf), who you’ll know as the video guy from Fro Knows Photo. He talks emphatically about how creators should focus more on knowing the story they want to tell, instead of being preocupied by the gear. It’s about making video, but purely stills photographers can learn a lot from it, too. I really believe that new photographers will need to learn how to shoot video, in some capacity.
Next up was a post featured on ISO 1200 which compared natural light portraits to off-camera strobe portraits. It’s a nice comparison by South Texas portrait photographer Francisco Hernandez, allowing you to see natural vs strobe in the same scenario with the same pose. (Note: High-Speed-Sync flash does play a role in maintaining the quality of the background blur.)
A photo posted by Francisco Hernandez (@fjhphoto) on Nov 3, 2016 at 8:59am PDT
You can read the article and watch the video
.
Otherwise – that’s all I have for you today. One video on the PURPOSE, another on the TECHNICAL. Talk tomorrow, Ben
WINTER is hard season to endure if you are a photographer.
My theory is that it’s all to do with a lack of light. The days are shorter, weather is poorer and it all amounts to less light.
Photographers love light. Without it, we can’t function, can’t see, can’t earn, can’t CREATE.
Wherever there is light, there’s a chance to make great pictures. We know that in our bones and it’s comforting.
So Winter naturally feels like a bit of a dark time for us. Chances are, what can go wrong, will go wrong during winter.
We see it as photography teachers. Class attendance takes a dive, assessment submissions slow down – our job becomes one-quarter photo teacher, one-quarter motivational speaker, and the other half of our job is being there to listen to aspiring photographers and try and help whenever we can.
We’re constantly amazed by the struggles many photographers go through just to simply make it to class. There’s so many things that can knock someone down – health, mental health, illness, sadness, family, raising kids, juggling jobs and finances – if you struggle to define what “fighting spirit” is, come to TAFE and spend some time with the photographers that come to our classes.
They’re fighters, alright.
The good news is, everything starts to change at this time of year. The days are getting longer, there’s more light – we can feel the season changing.
We see it as a photography teachers. Class attendance is improving, and the assessments are flying in.
I love September. It’s when photographers find that extra bit of strength that helps them rise above it and see better, shoot better, edit better, study better – just be better photographers.
Photographers, even if 2016 hasn’t been your year, September can be your month.
Those 30 days in September can set you up for life. Trust us, we see it happen every year.
(Thanks to WhatFunk for the music.)
Meanwhile at school … there’s a new kid on campus. This little creature was a welcome distraction from a hectic day. Quietly sitting metres away from my staffroom computer.
Distractions can be welcome! #LessonLearned.
(Black-and-white version over on Instagram. Which do you like better?)
Getting a coffee with a friend is always fun … but it’s extra special when that friend is Tania Martini, one of the most intriguing and fun-to-be-around photographers I know. I’m super lucky in the job I’m in, I’m always in contact with some of today’s best image makers. TANIA. IS. THE. BOMB. Hope you enjoy this pic, but I hope you enjoy her work even more. (black-and-white version on Instagram @benhasacat)
The gorgeous Falls Creek, Victoria, with the outstanding Certificate IV Photographers at Wodonga TAFE.
Love days like this at work.
2015 was going to crush the photography industry.
It was going to steamroll photojournalism especially, as Fairfax Media cut the vast majority of its photographic work force.
It wasn’t just photography. All the departments were cut heavily. But as I’d spent the majority of my time at Fairfax making news pictures, that’s where the cut personally stung deepest for me.
I’d covered news for 10 years and made friends with hundreds of other photographers, in person and online — and sometime in 2014-15 the hammer was going to drop.
Some would survive but the vast majority would be out.
There was no money in pictures, according to Fairfax.
Speculation was that News Corp would follow, and as cameras got smarter, demand for pro photographers would dwindle, and that negativity would spread throughout the industry leaving brides to photograph marriages with selfie sticks and GoPros.
Some of us, myself included, gambled and left early. Others, maybe the toughest of us, stayed until the grim announcements hit newsrooms everywhere.
In March, the local Border Mail newspaper announced it would cut its eight full time photographers to two-and-a-half.
(Don’t ask me “which half?” I don’t know.)
None of those eight ended up staying with Fairfax, although a couple were given the chance to keep working.
It was a hellish time that rippled fear through the whole imaging industry, and I wasn’t even directly threatened.
Every lunch or evening seemed to bring a troubled photographer to a couch near Laura and I for a hopefully comforting chat or FaceTime. Seasoned photographers and newbies were worried. We had no answers, only tea and biscuits.
“Bet you’re glad you’re out,” was something I heard a lot.
I never knew how to answer that. Sure, teaching is THE BEST. The classroom is a rush, and you get paid, too, which is nice.
Alternately there’s the whole thing of having to build a part-time 12-month teaching gig and social photo jobs into something more substantial and sustainable versus working full-time for a century-old institution. Then there’s that seat-of-your-pants newspaper action and us-against-the-deadline camaraderie you don’t get in a 9-to-5. If you aren’t working news, it’s hard to hang out with the crew because they’re always on the job.
All in all, yes, I was thrilled to be teaching, but, the hustle was very real for us.
And that ended up being the main aim of 2015 for most photographers I knew — hustling.
Except this week. Local photojournalism didn’t hustle this week. It wasn’t crushed — it absolutely thrived.
The Border Mail’s coverage of nearby bushfires was exceptional.
New photographers Elenor Tedenborg, James Wiltshire and Mark Jesser, along with the rest of the editorial staff, produced brilliant, comprehensive coverage. People were informed, moved, inspired, and safer thanks to those involved.
That wasn’t a newspaper with its heart cut out, that was an all-star crew that, on that day, couldn’t be bested by any past or future staff line-up.
Don’t believe me? That’s fine. But you can’t ignore this guy:
So impressed with @bordermail coverage of the fires. Can’t beat local knowledge. https://t.co/Qml7rW6mbh
— Barrie Cassidy (@barriecassidy) December 20, 2015The future isn’t perfect for news organisations, but it’s bright for these photojournalists and journalists.
As for the rest of the industry? Well, enrolments in our photography courses are going great and I’m hearing reports everyday that our graduates are indeed working hard and getting paid. My buddies shooting weddings have already mostly filled their 2016 work calendars, the camera store gang seem happy, the camera clubs are full and the demand for images is up on last year. I even heard instances of News Corp and Fairfax hiring photographers.
The trick to surviving 2015 appears to be keep moving.
Ben
PS — as for our personal hustle? Well, for me, it’s been a hard but incredibly rewarding 2014-15, and it’s totally paid off. Thank you and merry Christmas to everyone, especially those who were a part of that. I’m really grateful. And lots of love to Laura, whose patience for photography far outweighs her passion.
PPS — Did I mention that Mr Jesser and Mr Wiltshire are Wodonga TAFE alumni? We’re damn proud of them.
Tonight at #TAFE. Representing with some damn fine photographers at the #DigitalShow. The future of photography is bright.
Love these photographers. (at Southbank, Melbourne Vic)
I got high at #Wodonga TAFE today.
Props to Tim Sigmund, one of the few truly legit drone-rs. Google him, and you can get high safely, too.
Stylish as! ISO 100, 45mm, f1.8, Olympus EM-5 II
Cakes in TAFE: Food Photography with Geoffrey Michael Pâtissier
Had the chance to bring some Diploma photographers in to shoot some of the finest sweets I’ve ever seen. It was part of the Trilogy of Food @ Wodonga TAFE, Victoria, where the finest cooking/hospitity students join forces with the finest cooks. Of course, we needed to have the finest photography students there to capture the action. I’ll follow this post soon with some action (cooking) shots, and a breakdown of how I made my images. I’m so excited to see the shots the Diploma photographers come up with. They worked so hard on the day. More soon, Ben
@saxbysays playing with #light and #shadow.
There’s something special about working in an office full of creatives. Obviously, it’s colourful and rarely dull. But, what I really enjoy is the different perspectives shared and observed. For example, I spent the past two years looking at these windows, and today, at that culmination of light and shade, they look fresher than ever.