Blue Planet Photography

Storage technology for digital files is changing as fast as capture and processing technology. When researching storage devices for your digital files, you have three considerations to take into account:

1. Reliability
2. Capacity
3. Speed

Reliability is the primary consideration since loss of data can be catastrophic, especially since hard drive capacity is pushing the 500 GB and 1 TB (terabyte [1000 GB]) range. Losing that much data could put a photographer out of business. Speed and capacity are more or less just conveniences.

So, how do you find out what hard drives are the most reliable or how they are put together? Many 500 GB and larger hard drives are actually a series of internally networked individual drives (4 125 GB drives, for example) rather than a single set of platters. These drives are set up in a non-mirrored RAID which spreads the data across all drives. This increases the speed of reading and writing data, but if one of the drives in the array fails all the data is lost. In some of the forums I participate in, there are several stories of these 500 GB drives failing (Lacie is one brand that seems to get a lot of attention in this regard). For larger capacity drives, even though prices keep coming down, it’s a good idea to stay away from the bargain basement prices. If it seems too good to be true….

One website that provides excellent resources for hard drive and other storage information is StorageReview.com. At this site you can get news of upcoming products, search reliability reports, and participate in discussion forums.

As a digital photographer, the learning curve never seems to flatten out much. Keeping up with the times is hard, and selecting the resources to help you do that is just as difficult since there is so much good and bad information out there — who do you trust?

It’s your irreplaceable data, your family photos, your vacations, your business. Unfortunately, digital photography has placed most of the burden of protecting those assets squarely on your shoulders. Hopefully this resource will help make it easier for you.

Mike Shipman

This project has intrigued and bothered me from the first time I heard of it nearly 10 years ago. A huge hydroelectric dam on the Yangtze River in one of China’s most scenic areas. Two kilometers across (1.2 miles) and 185 meters high (610 feet), it will be five times wider than Hoover Dam in Nevada and cost between $25 and $75 BILLION dollars. Generating 18,200 megawatts of electricity, nearly the output of 16 nuclear power plants and allow 10,000-ton cargo ships access to the country’s interior from the ocean. Behind the dam will be a reservoir 400 miles long. Lost under water will be countless sites of cultural and historical significance, 13 major cities, 140 towns, over 1300 villages and an unknown number of farms. About 1.13 million people are being relocated, the largest relocation outside of war.

In 2003, the reservoir began to fill and soon after cracks were documented in the dam wall. Now the reservoir is about 350 miles long and up to 135 feet deep. The cracks are reported to be increasing in number and size, or being fixed, or not a problem, depending upon what source you’re reading.

What are the ecological costs of such a project? Millions of tons of human and industrial waste are dumped into the Yangtze River, the third longest in the world, each year. A reservoir will allow that waste to settle and collect, creating a very big potential health and environmental risk. Sediments transported down river to the river’s mouth, deposited along the way, replenishing farmland and habitat, will be lost. Erosion downstream and loss of fertile land and habitat will be a cascading downturn for many species.

Extensive logging is required during the building of the dam and support structures. This denudes steep hillsides, increasing the risk of landslides.

Species reliant on the river and its adjacent habitats will be affected, among them are the Yangtze dolphon, Chinese sturgeon, Chinese tiger, Chinese alligator, Siberian crane, and the giant panda.

The dam is a source of National Party pride, a “look what China can do” show-off. A super power coming of age. Along with their space exploits and economin potential, China is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with (and worried about?).

Increasing human population will demand more of the resources our Earth holds. My wife told me the other day as we were passing by more farm fields up for sale or being graded for the next subdivision that we should be growing corn on those fields for fuel. At first that sounded like a great idea. But for those fields to remain fields of corn, growing corn must be more profitable than growing houses, or shopping malls or Dollar Stores. So far, it isn’t. Those fields keep moving farther out to land not quite as good and more expensive to irrigate. But, that’s another story.

Here is a selection of websites for more information.

Three Gorges Probe
Edward Burtynsky - photographer
CNN Article
TED Case Study
New Scientist
Geography Pages

If you’re photographing for editorial, commercial, or stock, you often have to be very aware of what you’re photographing. Recently, and occuring more often, are lawsuits regarding breach of privacy, copyright and trademark infringement when photographs are taken of individuals, buildings, products, etc. and then licensed for commercial or even editorial use. Note all the blurring of names and items on some TV shows where releases or payments for individuals, logos, and products have not been obtained by the network. Just watch MTV for 5 minutes and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

A few years ago, showing a brand on television, even in an editorial context, wasn’t a big deal. Collateral advertising. Now, product placement is big money and it seems there is now a gray area between what is commercial and what is editorial (advertorial is the term often used), so most instances of “catching a brand” is removed or blurred out to avoid any litigation.

And it’s not just noticeable brands or products. Privately owned buildings, parks, and other property gets into the mix as well. A brand isn’t necessarliy just a logo. The word a few years ago was that if you were shooting from public property, you could legally photograph private property. Standing on the sidewalk or in the street was ok to capture the Flatiron Building in New York or a local old house.

That’s not really true anymore. Things you thought were ok to photograph may not be. Even when the item or logo is not the primary focus or subject of the scene, an incidental capture of a logo in a street scent, for example, the owner of that trademark or copyrighted design could come after you. Using the street scene as a more detailed example, if you capture the McDonald’s arches, a Porsche, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and someone wearing a Denver Broncos t-shirt, you might get the attention of one or more of those companies depending upon the use and popularity of the image where these trademarks are found. Recently, many stock photos containing the logo of the London Underground (”The Tube” subway system) were pulled from Alamy in response from pressure from the Transport of London that these images were trademark and copyright infringments. Other images removed included Rubik’s Cube and Eurostar.

A photographer needs to be aware of what they can or can’t photograph and obtain the appropriate release (model or property), pay any license (or capture) fees, and essentially dot your i’s and cross your t’s to avoid any future surprises. Just because you have a camera and are a “professional”, it doesn’t give you license or access to photograph anything you want. When in doubt it’s best to ask. If that’s not possible, you might go ahead and get the shot, but thoroughly research it and get permission (if needed) before sending it out for publication.

The Picture Archival Council of America (PACA) has put together a Special Releases List, a short list of properties and objects that could cause problems for you if not released. This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means.

Sometimes we photographers are unduly influenced by our audience, whether that audience is our friends, family, collectors, clients, ad agencies, stock agencies, etc. After a while, sometimes, we just get on auto-pilot, shooting what’s requested, following the script, whatever. When I teach my classes I always tell my students to shoot what they love first and foremost. Especially when learning photography, trying to second guess what other will like or are expecting from you will only lead to frustration. Learn the ropes, develop your personal style, get familiar with the equipment and what you can do with it. Do what you love. Then, when someone requests a particular photo of a specific thing, you will be more comfortable attempting to fulfill that request (theoretically).

What happens when you end up locked in the box? You’ve somehow lost your focus or have been lured away from what you love to do, which is photograph or photography particular things.

Here’s some inspiration from Chip Simons who’s written a pleasurable article called “Outcast of Originality” at Editorial Photographers. It’s an inspiration to shoot whatever strikes your fancy. Some quotable quotes Chip has written:

“Change your perspective…don’t ever show me something from 5 foot 9….I know what it looks like already. ”

“Don’t be so obsessed with taking great pictures…..that’s a horrible pressure to put on yourself.”

“You can take the worst pictures on earth if you want…it’s really easy.”

“Nobody really cares what you do so you better like it….or at least realize it is all part of a process that will lead to something else.”

Dispensing with “proper photographic etiquette” might not be the subjects or subject matter that gets you paid, but being free with your creativity can do a couple things:

1. Keeps your mind in creative mode. Especially with digital, you’re able to do and try things you probably wouldn’t have with film on account of the expense and time delay of film processing.

2. Involves you in new techniques that could lead to uses for more commercially viable work.

3. Happy accidents do happen.

Read this article over and over, Print it out and hang it up where you can see it. Visit Chip’s website, and go out and shoot whatever strikes your fancy.

This week’s website is the American Museum of Photography. A virtual museum (only existing on the web), it nonetheless has a broad selection of items that would interest most practitioners of photography. There are several online exhibits currently ranging from slavery and other images of early African Americans, Scott Mutter, photomontage, to the Daguerreotypes of Southworth and Hawes. Articles such as hotographic Fictions: How the camera learned to lie contains various readings on manipulated photography throughout history. There is also information on early photographic processes. A museum store offers books and posters.

If you don’t have a museum of photography near you, this would be a good place to visit.

I just had to post something today. I thought I had an auspicious photo but no luck. Just another day.

Back in 2001, as the Mars Rover programs were being finalized, NASA, the Planetary Society, and the LEGO Company partnered in a project called Red Rover Goes to Mars, a project to give hands-on opportunities to students world wide to participate directly in an actual mission to Mars.

One aspect of the project was to send a pair of silica glass DVDs, one for each rover. Each DVD contains 4 million names (the same names on each DVD) from a sign-up campaign held between 2001 and 2004, a secret code (different for each DVD) around the edge of the DVD, and an image of a LEGO Astrobot minifigure on each DVD which contain magnets (one in the center, and one in each foot) to collect Martian dust.

I got my name, along with the rest of my family, in the near-2,000,000s of the certificate numbers. I had forgotten about it until today when I was going through some old papers. Not that it means much, it’s just cool thinking that vicariously I’m on Mars.

If aliens discover the rovers and are able to read the DVDs, decipher the language, understand that what they’re seeing is a list of names, it still won’t tell them who we are or anything about us. Unless, of course, they have access to the internet and Google my name then go to Google Earth and find out where my house is…..

Back in January I wrote about Photoshelter.com as a seemingly very useful option for both archival storage of digital files and a “turn-key” website for photographers who don’t have time to code a website themselves or hire someone to do it for them. One aspect of PhotoShelter was the ability to sell prints which were processed through partner EZPrint. For me, I would rather have control over the quality of prints that I sell online, ensuring that everything was the way I wanted it to look before I sent it out to a buyer. Entrusting that process to just anyone can bite back pretty hard. As a result of comments I’m sure are similar to that, PhotoShelter has initiated a self-fulfillment option on print sales that allows photographers to upload low-res images for review and then handle the creation of prints on their end, whether they create the print themselves or outsource.

This is a good move on the part of PhotoShelter. I haven’t joined up, but everything I’ve heard has been positive from those who have. By giving the photographer as much freedom as possible to modify and use the service as best fits their own style, rather than trying to box users into a defined set of “preferred” vendors, will make the user community very happy and show that this is an operation in for the long haul rather than just catching a wave for a quick in and out.

Bravo.

Here are three (well, four) more interesting products. I’ve not used these products nor sell them, so this report is not an endorsement or sales pitch. The products I select may or may not be useful to you, but I find them interesting. You be the judge.

#1.
The Argraph Zigview is a 2-inch/TFT color display that attaches to the viewfinder of a digital or film SLR and rotates 360 degrees, allowing for low or odd-angled viewing.

Available in two models, the Zigview B is a viewfinder only and is $249.95.

The Zigview R is a viewfinder and allows for remote shutter release, has a built-in intervalometer for shooting frames over any period of time up to 999 days and exposure intervals from 1/2 second to 99 days, and a variable sensitivity motion sensor that fires the shutter based on changes in brightness levels in 9 areas of the viewfinder allowing the sensor area to cover any distance and any focal length.

The Zigview R is $299.95.

Viewfinder adapters are available for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Minolta, and Pentax brand SLRs. Other accessories are a carry pouch, LCD hood, release cable, infrared cable, wired/wireless remote.

#2.
We all know the Swiss Army brand. Their knives are all-encompassing tools carried in the backpacks of many a Boy Scout and intrepid hunter. Going beyond the call of duty, and I suppose, succombing to the pressures of technology (is nothing safe from ‘digital encroachment’?), Swiss Army has introduced 2 “must have” knife models to their arsenal:

A) The Victorinox SwissMemory 1GB knife is what every computer geek (or photographer on the run) needs. Included in this handy package are:

USB 1GB jump drive
handy cutting blade
ubiquitous nail file and screwdriver combo
scissors
key ring
LED mini light
retractable ball point pen (refillable?)
Secure-LOCK software that keeps your data safe from unauthorized access (password protection, is my guess). Retails for $197.00.

B) The Victorinox S.Beat MP3 Digital Media Player is for those who like to slash and dash while cutting a rug. This baby has all the bells and whistles:

1GB capacity
FM radio tuner
15 FM radio presets
3-line high contrast backlight reverse LCD
USB 2.0 interface
High quality earphones w/adjustable neck strap
Remote control
Line-in cable to record from external sources
Belt clip
USB extension cable
Utility CD
Oh yeah, cutting blade, scissors, nail file with nail cleaner (no screwdriver?)

#3
This product should probably have its own post, but I’ll put it here for now and post more details later after I’ve reviewed it.

The PLUS Coalition has as its mission to encourage standardized usage of image licensing terminology, a Universal Picture Licensing Glossary. The Coalition, started by photographer and former President of the Advertising Photographers of America (APA) Jeff Sedlik and Jeffrey Burke, Vice President of the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA), now has an advisory panel that is a Who’s Who of the photography industry, including some of the world’s largest advertising agencies and all the major U.S. photography trade organizations.

Image licensing models are broken down into two broad categories, Rights Managed and Royalty Free. With Rights Managed (RM) licensing, a client purchases a license to use a particular image based on a specific type of use, duration, distribution, and other factors. When those factors change, a new license and fee is required. Royalty Free (RF) mostly dispenses with many of the licensing restrictions, allowing the client to use the image for whatever purpose without negotiating new licensing terms.

Licensors of images more or less prefer the RF style license agreement, i.e., sweet and simple. Individual photographers, advertising agencies, stock photography agencies, and other sources of photographs for license, can have different definitions of commonly used terms, creating issues of understanding between providers and users. Using standardized definitions will help get everyone on the same page when discussions arise. An analog to this would be the difference between the scientific name of an animal or plant and its common or regional name. The scientific name, in Latin, (Marmota flaviventris, for example) is understood the world over to refer to one particular thing. Common or regional names can differ across geographic areas, so that a person referring to a “whistle pig” in one area is not understood by another who would call the same animal a “marmot” or “ground squirrel”. The Universal Picture Licensing Glossary will help reduce that confusion when image licensing terms are discussed.

Other endeavors of the PLUS Coalition are to develop a standardized media matrix which intends to include international media categories and billing codes into image files. Also, they are developing a Universal License Format, which is a machine-readable data form integrated with the Glossary and Media Matrix to provide a single, worldwide standard for describing image licenses.

See the website listed above for more details and to access the PLUS Glossary.