William Henry Fox Talbot - My Heroes (cont.)

While Fox Talbot didn't invent photography he did invent and patent the calotype, where the the paper negative was printed onto a sensitized sheet placed underneath. The negative meant that the print could be reproduced as many times as you wished, this process was the forerunner of the modern film negative. All this by 1835 four years before Daguerre exhibited his "Sun" pictures. To learn more about the father of modern photography click here.

SanDisk Kicks It Up A Notch!

Wow a 16GB of Compact Flash Card! Here's the offical chatter from SanDisk regarding the Extreme III series performance, "SanDisk Extreme III cards use SanDisk-developed ESP (Enhanced Super-Parallel Processing) technology that combines advanced NAND flash memory chips and controller designs, 32-bit RISC processing and leading edge algorithms for an architecture that streamlines every aspect of read and write data transfer operations. In addition, SanDisk works closely with major camera manufacturers to ensure speed and compatibility. The ESP architecture effectively removes the card as the bottleneck in data storage applications." Street price, for the 16GB card, is expected to be around $850. For more info click here.

Minor White - My Heroes (cont.)

" Minor White was one of the greatest American photographers of the period after the Second World War as well as one of the greatest teachers of the medium. One of the best-known names in photography until the end of the 1970's, his life and work has since virtually dropped out of photographic discourse.

Probably for many younger photographers his name means little or nothing. White was a deeply religious man whose whole life was a spiritual journey. His photography arose out of this and was an inherent part of this pilgrimage. It isn't an approach that has been fashionable in academic circles in recent years.

As well as his photography and teaching, White's other vital legacy to photography is the magazine 'Aperture', which has done more than any other publication to improve the quality of photographic publishing in the last 50 years."

To see more of his images click here. To read the rest of Peter Marshall's two part series on Minor White click here.

Michel Tcherevkoff - My Heroes (cont.)

Years before the advent of computer technology, Michel was creating intricate images in-camera and in the darkroom. "I always thought of photographs that were more illustrative in nature -- that told a strong story with a completely different approach."

To read more of Michel's interview with Hisaka Kojima click here. To visit his website click here.

Adobe Kicks It Up A Notch!

Adobe has released Lightroom Beta version 4.1 It addresses several issues in Beta 3 and highlights Adobe's committment to building a better software by involving photographers in the process. While it still has miles to go before it sleeps and awakens as a finalized Version 1, Lightroom is beginning to draw a lot of interest from pros and amateurs. Everyone wants a photo processing software that is quick, powerful and intuitive and Lightroom holds that promise. For more info or to download Beta 4.1 click here.

Too Cool For School - (cont.)

Samsung Electronics has begun selling the world's first 10 megapixel mobile phone! Model: SCH-B600
The B600 offers the same level of picture-taking sophistication that a 10 megapixel digital camera offers. The camera function includes 3x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom. It also has auto focus and a flash unit that performs optimally for 10 megapixel photographs. The B600 comes fitted with a LED autofocus feature which assists users to capture clear, crisp photos even in dark settings. Located next to the lens, the LED autofocus automatically determines the distance and utilizes the appropriate focus setting for optimal photo shooting. The B600 also supports white balance, manual focus, continuous picture-taking, interval picture-taking functions and Bluetooth which enables users to send pictures wirelessly to other mobile phones, printers or to Bluetooth headsets. The only draw back.. they are currently exclusive to South Korea. For more info click here.

Jerry Uelsmann - Heroes (cont.)

Before there were computers, before there was Photoshop, there was Jerry Uelsmann. In my opinion he is the greatest darkroom magician to ever draw a breath.

To learn more about Jerry Uelsmann and see more of his amazing images click here.

Leaf Kicks It Up A Notch!

Leaf launches the world’s fastest digital camera back at Photokina 2006. The new Leaf Aptus 75S camera back can deliver shooting speeds from 0.8 seconds per frame - or as many as 75 frames per minute - with unlimited burst depths. The camera back in the new S-series uses advanced, accelerated image-processing hardware, incorporating a new, lossless image-compression engine, designed to achieve record-breaking speeds. Leaf has doubled the CCD sensor readout speed in order to accelerate shooting speeds, and has doubled the buffer size, resulting in unlimited burst depths. The new Leaf Aptus 75S will maximize the newest Sandisk CompactFlash Extreme IV card technology for portable shooting, and incorporates the new Firewire 800 communication for maximum speed. For more info click here.

Edward Weston - My Heroes (cont.)

What list of photographic heroes would be complete without Edward Weston, a man many consider "The most influential photographer of the twentieth century". His images and day books should be a part of any photographic curriculum. To learn more about this photographic icon click here.

Eric Meola - My Heroes (cont.)

"Equally at home in the most remote and exotic corners of the world as he is in his Manhattan studio, photographer Eric Meola has led two lives in photography. For more than two decades as a commercial shooter, he has created some of the world's most recognizable and striking advertising images. And as one of the world's foremost adventure photographers, he has brought his personal vision to some of the most far-flung locales on earth: Ethiopia, Niger, Papua New Guinea, Burma and Cambodia - sharing with the world places and events rarely witnessed by outsiders."

Some images just burn themselves into your brain, their impact never fades, for me, "Promised Land" (the image above) is one of those images.

For more info click here.

Elliot Erwitt - My Heroes (cont.)

How much we would have missed if Elliot Erwitt had decided not to become a photographer. His images give us a visual record of a life rich in humor, irony and compassion.

To learn more about this legendary Magnum photographer click here.

Need To Send A Big File? Check Out Dropload!

Recentlyl I had to send a very large Jpeg file to an editorial client in France. The image was going to run full bleed, double truck, (approx. 11" X 17") at 300 dpi. The digital file was far too large to email and the timeline wouldn't allow for physical delivery sooo... I uploaded it to my free Dropload account and Dropload notified my client, (by email), and my client downloaded the file. The entire scenario played out in about 30 minutes. My upload was very quick and my client had a broadband connection so the slowest part of the equation was the notification. If you don't abuse the service it will continue to be free. You can send up to a 100 MB file. I use the service no more than once a week and have never had a problem. Check them out at www.dropload.com

Henri Cartier-Bresson - My Heroes (cont.)

Considered by many to be the father of modern photojournalism, he was master of the "decisive moment" and one of the most prolific photographers to ever pick up a camera.

"Henri Cartier-Bresson is the great glory of twentieth - century photography. His poetic vision is reflected in the eyes of most photographers today, whether they realize it or not. In an age of vulgar photographic arrivistes, he remains the benchmark of profound eloquence and insight... We will not see again that kind of touching beauty in our lifetime." Duane Michals

To learn more click here. To see more images click here.

Too Cool For School! - The Leica M Goes Digital!

I still remember my M4-2, black, very sensual. You could feel the quality. I know this will sound silly but it just felt like you could make great images with it. If the M8 has the same craftsmanship and a similar feel, it should be a big hit with Leica fans.

"The dream of many Leica photographers has come true: the Leica M system is now open for professional digital photography. Breaking completely new ground, the LEICA M8 doesn't only look like an M - it utilizes all the benefits of the analog Leica M system for sophisticated and creative digital photography. It is the only digital camera for professionals to incorporate the rangefinder system with its advantages of discreet and quiet operation, speed and precision. And the no-compromise quality criteria of the M system continue to apply to the M8. Full compatibility with nearly all M lenses means that their unique imaging performance is now available for digital photography, too. The low-noise CCD image sensor with a resolution of 10.3 megapixels has been specifically matched to the compact lens design to guarantee superlative photographic quality. The controls and functions of the digital M still concentrate on the essentials. The proven M concept is complemented by the intelligent extra functions that digital technology has to offer. The LEICA M8 is the first timeless digital camera "Made in Germany". Fascinatingly new and yet still a real Leica M. (The LEICA M8 will be available from the end of November 2006 on.) "

To get more info click here.

George Hurrell - My Heroes (cont.)

"The man dubbed the "Grand Seigneur of the Hollywood Portrait," was born in Covington, KY, across the river from Cincinnati, in 1904. By the time he was eight, young George Hurrell had developed an interest in painting and drawing. He fell into photography almost accident, originally learning how to use a camera so that he could photograph his paintings.

Hurrell photographed every star at M-G-M, from Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Greta Garbo to Wallace Beery and Marie Dressler. His work set a new standard for Hollywood portraits. It even inspired a new name for the genre - glamour photography"... to learn more about George Hurrell's life click here. To see more of his images click here.

Pete Turner - My Heroes (cont.)

And speaking of Jazz... PT's latest book "The Color of Jazz showcases 100 covers and their art in close to original size; many of the covers are rare and out-of-print, now collector's items, and connect to a who's who of musical legends—from Count Basie, John Coltrane, and Stan Getz, to Quincy Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and Steely Dan. Turner's covers set new standards for this medium and transformed albums into art objects, sought after both for the music they contain and the cover art they display."

Through his constant exploration of bold color combined with bold graphics Pete Turner has earned a special place in the history of photogrpahy. To learn more about him click here.