New Photography 2007 Panned by New York Times

I always love a good photography exhibit, especially if it concerns old photographs from the mid-century (in the image above, please find an image of me in 1978).

I think that just about every other photograph taken of people from that era looks experimental, because it was an experimental time.

In the mid-century people were experimenting not only with sex, drugs and rock-in-roll, but also with fashion from hair to clothing.

Just look at the picture above and you'll see an Afro hairdo on a white person. If you saw that in the 40s, the person wearing it probably would have had to undergo electric shock therapy.

There's a show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City that emphasizes an old photography style, which I think can be referred to as experimental mid-century or photographing in an experimental era, an era when society was in flux. The review in the New York Times refers to this type of photography as the Diane Arbus school (Arbus photographed random subjects during the mid-century).

There are two rooms to the MOMA's exhibit, one in which the photographs of Eadweard Muybridge, Alfred Stieglitz and Clarence White are presented, and another where the photographs of some new artists can be viewed. Much of the old photography is from the early part of the twentieth century.

While the Times dismisses the new photographers as a group who provide nothing fresh, they do point out one whose work is associated with the Arbus school. This work is from Tanyth Berkeley and the image they highlight is "Grace in Window."

I agree with the Times comparison of this artist's work with Diane Arbus. Arbus worked with very real (offbeat) subjects in a very real (odd) world. Berkeley works with similar subjects, but, as I see it, her subjects are less varied and the context in which she presents them less informative.

Arbus used some very interesting backgrounds and framed her subjects from a distance. Berkeley's art is limited in subject matter (mostly women) and there's almost no background as most of her images are close-ups.

How to Take a PIcture of a Christmas Tree at Night

So, you want to take a picture of your Christmas tree at night...

Here's how without a tripod:

1. Set your camera to a high ISO speed, say, over 1600.

2. Turn off your camera's flash.

3. Set your camera to Av mode, then set the f-stop at f/8. (Or set it to auto mode or "P" mode depending on what setting your camera has).

3. Turn off all the light except those on your tree.

4. Snap your Christmas photograph.


Here's how with a tripod (for the pros).

1. Set your camera to a low ISO, say 100.

2. Set your camera to Tv mode and your shutter speed to 1 second.

3. Turn off all the lights except those on your tree.

4. Snap a picture.

Try these steps at the following shutter speeds: 3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds and 30 seconds and pick the image that comes out best.

How to Use the Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop

The video here I made to help people learn how to use the clone stamp tool in Photoshop.

In the video I use an image of an old sign to illustrate how you use the clone stamp tool.

The main part of the sign's text reads: "Downtowner Motel." This part of the sign was probably constructed in the 1950s. The motel is in Missoula, Montana.

The sign also has a newer plastic addition that says "AAA Approved."

It is this part of the sign I seek to eliminate. I do so so that the image as a whole looks like it was taken in the 50s.

Here's the video.

More Photographs from the Amazon

A viewer left a comment yesterday to post more Amazon photographs, so here they are.


Amazon bird with unusual beak.


Amazon house on stilts.


Amazon rain forest native palms.


The Amazon headwaters of Ecuador.


Mid-century modern architecture in Coca, Ecuador.

Amazon Trip in Ecuador

You can't help but meet many Amazon natives when you're traveling through the rain forest.

After arriving in Coca, Ecuador, you can travel many miles by boat and canoe to get to the Napo Wildlife Center. The Napo Wildlife Center is in the Yasunì National Park.

It's great that the Napo Wildlife Center is there as they've preserved over 52,000 acres of rain forest. Much of the rain forest has been under attack by the oil companies who want to drill for oil, thus destroying the land.

In the picture above you see some members of the Quichua indigenous community. When you stay at Napo learn about the families are educated about their daily activities.

The Napo guides also take you on a trip to the parrot lick.

I highly recommend a trip to Napo and a stay at the Napo Wildlife Center. A great description of the Napo Wildlife Center is here.

To learn about some techniques used to photograph wildlife go to this post.

Types of Blur

Motion blur can be created in the field by photographing
a subject/object that's moving quickly.

It's about time the Digital Traveler had a conversation about blur.

There's three types of blur:

1. Lens Blur
2. Motion Blur
3. Gaussian Blur

All can be made in Photoshop. While Photoshop does a good job in making blur, getting blur though your lens in the field is better.

And if you want to clear up blur, check this out.

The Wizard of Photography Web Site Review

Brownie Starflash camera by Eastman Kodak that I captured
at a-now defunct camera store in Palm Springs, CA.

There's a new Web site about George Eastman called the Wizard of Photography.

It contains:

* a year-by-year timeline of the history of photography that's fascinating.
* a photo tour of George Eastman's house
* Kodak music from the turn-of-the-last-century
* biographies of inventors such as Thomas Edison and businessmen such as Henry Strong.
* major photographic events such as public reactions to the first Kodak cameras

Here's a mini-timeline I wrote--

PHOTOGRAPHY HISTORY TIMELINE
In 1827 camera obscura was invented, a process where by an image took 8 hours to expose. Isacc Newton discovers that white light can be divided into colors.
In 1843, the fist advertisement with a photograph was made. In 1888, George Eastman invented film.
In 1913, the first 35 mm camera was introduced. In 1935, Kodak introduced Kodachrome.film. In 1941, Kodak introduced negative film. In 1963, Kodak introduced instant color film
In 1978, the first point-and-shoot auto focus camera introduced