I have absolutely nothing more to add…..
Katy Perry On Saturday Night Live
I have absolutely nothing more to add…..
New Work – Robert Nardelli
Click on Any Image for Full-Size
______________________________
My tour of the nation’s boardrooms continued last week when I got to spend some time with Bob Nardelli, the ex-CEO of Home Depot and Chrysler, who is now at Cerberus Capital Management, one of the largest private equity investment firms in the country. His new gig has him running the Cerberus Operations and Advisory Company…a little portfolio that includes about 50 companies with combined revenues of nearly $50 billion. With that as his day job, it’s not too surprising that I was not going to be given a lot of time to do what I do, but I was further hamstrung when the location I wanted to shoot him in was deemed ‘too public’ and instead my only choice was…the boardroom.
The boardroom is always the first place I’m shown and usually the last place I wanna be! The person giving me the office tour typically says, “We’ve done a lot of photography in here!”, which makes me wonder why they think I would want to go where thousands have gone before, but beyond that, most boardrooms are just not that photo-friendly. They can be High-Tech or Old-World and as well-designed as possible, but there’s no gettin’ around the monstrously large table that inevitably takes up the bulk of the room. And even the best boardroom is usually kinda bland, overlit and without much drama. So to overcome these little obstacles I decided to get a bit dark and moody and make a shot that was more cinematic than real…..
…then, for a quick secondary photo, I decided to do one of my Artificial Portraits (above) that I could also serve as a nice setup for a tight portrait…..
Are Y’All Ready For An 80mp Digital Back ?!!
Barely a week after I was pissing and moaning about the big announcement from PhaseOne that they were introducing a $42,000 digital back that captures only Black & White images, comes today’s bombshell from Leaf that they’re gonna now about to trot out has to be to most ridiculous bit of technological overkill yet seen on the digital landscape…an 80MP digital back that kicks out a 165mb RAW file and…ya might wanna sit down for this…a 480mb TIFF file! Now for those of you who understand such things, then you know that by starting with a base TIFF of 480mb, your final layered, retouched & messed-with file can easily end up being larger than TWO GIGABYTES in size!!! For those less geek-savvy, let’s just agree that the file size this thing produces is waaaaaay bigger than just about anybody needs, wants, asked for or even thought would be necessary! With resolution like this I would imagine you could stand on top of a tall building in New York and take a pretty sharp picture of Boston (I kid, of course!), but no…the number one reason Leaf claims this thing is necessary is to “eliminate Moiré and more perfectly render objects – from the texture of fine fabrics to the smooth curves of car metal”…! Now you’ll hafta excuse me whilst I digest that statement, because I’m on my third Leaf back and with each new back Leaf has made the exact same claim…and I still have Moiré! Oh…not so much that it makes any real difference and what there is can usually be eliminated with a bit of Photoshop fuckery, but I hafta ask…just what is the new 80mp Aptus-II 12 with its’ newly designed 53.7×40.3mm full-frame CCD sensor really good for besides forcing its’ owner to buy stock in companies that manufacture hard drives?!!
Just for kicks, I took the last job I did with my ‘Old Skool’, 33MP Leaf Aptus 75S and ran the numbers to see what the difference in storage would be if I shot the same job on the new Aptus-II 12. I shot 307 RAW files, each one of which is 68.3 megabytes in size, that translated into 20.97 gigabytes of total space used, and quite frankly, that’s already a huge pile of ‘zeroes’ and ‘ones’ filling up disc space! However, the same 307 RAW files shot on the Aptus-II 12 with its 165 megabyte capture rate will give you a 50.66 gigabyte meatball that you have to store on multiple redundant backups systems until they plant your dead ass in the ground! That’s a lotta gigabytes, Baby!
Oh yeah….the Aptus-II 12 is gonna come in at about $32 Grand, just in case you wanted to start saving up your pennies now…..
R.I.P. Jay Colton
Photo © Claudio Edinger
I woke up today to the terrible news that Jay Colton, photographer, photo editor and educator, died Saturday while teaching at the International Photography Festival/Paraty em Foco, in Brazil. I have known Jay since the early 80’s, but after many years of not seeing each other, we had rekindled our friendship in the past year. Details are hard to come by, but he apparently collapsed while conducting portfolio reviews at the festival and never regained consciousness. He leaves behind his son Christopher and wife Moira and the entire New York photo community will mourn his passing.
The following was a news report from Brazil on the Paraty em Foco Festival that featured Jay…
Song of the Day
THE VACCINES
If You Wanna
DOWNLOAD: If You Wanna
There is precious little information out the on the interwebs about The Vaccines ‘cept that this new London outfit is being set up by none other than NME to be ‘the future of everything’…! Hell, that’s a lotta pressure for a new band that doesn’t even have a MySpace page, but what they do have is a tight, uniquely refreshing Lo-Fi 60’s Pop sound that sticks in your head. I’d tell you more, but honestly, that’s about all I got…so check them out on facebook or on their interesting, if rather obtuse Website
WE’RE ALL GOING TO AUSTRALIA!!!!!
We’ll…..not you and me, but the entire studio full of bawling, drooling, Oprah-obsessed Super Fans who happened to be holding a Golden Ticket to the debut show of her final season are packing their bags and heading off for a free week in Kangarooland!
And if that news wasn’t enough to make the crying masses wet themselves, Oprah told ’em that none other than famous pilot John Travolta would be the one flying them there!!!
This is all giving me a massive headache…….
Song of the Day
SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS
I L U (Phantogram Remix)
DOWNLOAD: I L U (Phantogram Remix)
School of Seven Bells latest album, Disconnect from Desire, is practically brand new, but the Brooklyn-based trio already has has a new digital EP set to drop September 14. Heart is Strange is one of those crazy little things that happens when the remix-masters fall in love with a band, and SVIIB is one of those bands. The EP contains only four cuts, two versions of Heart is Strange (the Radio edit and the Pantha du Prince Remix), Dust Devil (White Sea Remix), and today’s SOTD, I L U (Phantogram Remix). Disconnect from Desire has been one of my favorite albums this year, but I’m always up for a good bit of knob-twiddling. Check out more from SVIIB on MySpace or on their Website and for you New Yorkers who plan on doing CMJ this year, they’re gonna be playing the Santos Party House Saturday, October 23rd and it promises to be one of the best shows of the week!
iPhone Photo of the Day
And Now… A Digital Back For ‘Pure B&W Images’…?!!
The steady march of technology in the photo biz often makes my head spin, especially with the price of admission factored in, but this mornings email from PhaseONE even made me take a deep breath. For the mind-bending sum of $41,990.00, photographers can now enjoy a ‘pure’ digital Black & White experience with the release of the new 39 Megapixel PhaseONE Achromatic+ Back. That’s right…42 Grand and you can only shoot B&W! Now I don’t wanna seem too Old Skool here, but if ‘regular’ digital backs are having such a hard time capturing Black and White images, couldn’t we just load in a roll of Tri-X like the old days and be happy? Was there really that big of an outcry from the photo community for a piece of equipment that essentially moves the medium backwards?!! I’m not saying I don’t love Black & White imagery…far from it…but spending 42 Large on a digital back is sort of like inventing a High Definition Video Camera that only shoots silent movies! And yes…Phase is touting the scientific applications of such a back as one of the main reasons for going forward with such a project, but you just know there are gonna be a lotta kids with messed up priorities who will have the Achromatic+ on their wish list this Christmas!
Song of the Day
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK
If You Want It (French Horn Rebellion Remix)
DOWNLOAD: If You Want It
You’re all gonna have to cut me some slack, but The List is gonna deviate from the normal flow of Indie/Singer-Songwriter/Guitar-Driven tunes today, because as a dyed in the wool fanboy of anything Synth-Pop, I can’t resist leaking the first new material from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark since 1996! OMD’s new album, History Of Modern, is set to drop later this month, but already the remixologists are twiddling the knobs on a few tracks that fell off the back of the truck. French Horn Rebellion has taken “If You Want It”, turned the bass up to “11” and added some club-friendly hooks and electro-fuzz and the result is a industrial, dark and dreamy, juicy kiss on the lips to all that Eighties UK synthpop we all loved back in the day…
Check out OMD on their Official Website or over on MySpace
Don Draper Wins A Clio? Big Deal…I’ve Got A Clio!!!
OK…so on Sunday night, just as ‘Mad Men’ was lassoing its third consecutive Emmy for Best Dramatic Series, I was over on AMC watching that nights episode where our hero, Don Draper, wins his first Clio Award (and the apparent pain & suffering that comes with the honor). Well, maybe pain & suffering is a bit strong, since as Don does a victory lap around a bar with his trophy, all the gals in attendance are clamoring to spend the night with him! And that’s when it hit me…wait a second…..I have a Clio, and the damned thing has never managed to get me the ladies like it did for Don!!! I kinda think I got a raw deal…….or maybe I just need a tailored suit, a high & tight haircut, and a skinny tie!
Song of the Day
LAND OF TALK
Quarry Hymns
DOWNLOAD: Quarry Hymns
The Montreal-based Land of Talk has a perfect song to kick off what looks like it’s gonna be a very nice week. Liz Powell’s easy-going vocals, the cool shoegazey vibe and the light and airy mood the song has put me in has almost convinced me blow off the mountain of work I have in front of me and spend the rest of the day up on the roof soaking in the sun. And even though the lyrics are profoundly sad, there is a sweet sexiness that is both uplifting and hopeful…
…And on days like these
I could take apart my window
So let down, I was so let down…
‘Quarry Hymns’ is off of Land Of Talk’s second album, Cloak & Cipher, that dropped last week. Check out their MySpace page for more information and be sure to check out this acoustic version that was recorded under a bridge…
Scott Pilgrim vs. The Matrix
I have to admit, I had zero interest in seeing ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’ before I saw this trailer, but now…..WHOA!!!
Song of the Day
MATT ELLIS
Heart Of Mine
DOWNLOAD: Heart Of Mine
It often surprises me just how much stuff I pass on to The List that fits into the Alt Country category…God knows it’s been kinda folky in here recently…but even though I spent a lotta time growing up on the farm in Saskatchewan, I never really had much use for all the twang and slide guitars. Now for some reason I find myself listening to much more down-home, country-fried tunes than I used to. Maybe it’s an aging thing…or just me bein’ a bit more open-minded…or just maybe, the music has gotten so much better over time and the line between Folk Rock, Art Rock and Country Rock just gets fuzzier and fuzzier! Anyway, a couple of hours ago, Matt Ellis…an Australian Singer/Songwriter who’s living in the Country Music capital of Venice, California…sent me his latest album, Births, Deaths & Marriages, a collection of the above mentioned Alt Country warblers, soulful ballads and Delta roadhouse jams. I’ve listened through the entire thing twice already and Goddamn it if it ain’t shuffle-steppin’ it’s way into my heart. Matt’s lonesome lyrics and Sad Bastard vocals and a parade of guest musicians have crafted a tight little hoedown with haunting Pedal Steel work from Greg Leisz (who’s played with Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss) and guitars from Tim Young (Beck) and Nick Luca (Calexico). Go on and give him a look on MySpace or over on his Web Site
And for all you dog lovers, this video is gonna put a tear in your eye…..
There Are No Words…..
Nothing I say could possible add to the luminous beauty of this famous album cover by gospel singing trio The Faith Tones, so let’s all just sit back and enjoy, shall we?!!
Song of the Day
JOEY RYAN
Broken Headlights
DOWNLOAD: Broken Headlights
One of the perks of being in New York is being able to listen to new music every single night and last night Vienna Teng was doing her Farewell Tour at the Highline Ballroom and I was there…front row & center! Vienna is truly one of the most gifted artists I’ve heard in years and it rips my heart out to think she’s packing up her piano (at least until she gets her Masters from the University of Michigan) because even as talented as she is, it’s damned near impossible to survive in the music business…unless you shake your ass around like GaGa or Beyoncé! But this isn’t about Vienna…it’s about the guy who opened for her, a darkly funny Angeleno named Joey Ryan. Joey took the stage wearing a slightly ill-fitting tweedy suit, carrying nothing but a guitar that was ‘older than his parents’…and he went on to totally win over the crowd, most of whom had probably never heard of him! His folksy, self-deprecating banter between songs has a real Luka Bloom quality about it, except that where Luka would typically be moaning about how horrible life on the road is and that he misses Ireland terribly, Joey lamented about how life on road sucked and he missed the lack of weather back home in L.A.!!!
Joey’s gonna be playing a solo gig at the small room at Rockwood Music Hall this Friday and will back in New York on September 22nd, this time playing Stage 2 at Rockwood with Amber Rubarth. ‘Broken Headlights’ is off of his new EP, Kenter Canyon, and I strongly advise you all to head on over to his MySpace page and give him a look!
You Mean You Can’t Use A Canon 7D For The Remake Of ‘War & Peace’…?!!
I love these xtranormal.com animations!
I Shoot Kaz…Kaz Shoots Me…..
A few weeks ago, the folks at Resource Magazine got in touch with me and asked if I would be interested in contributing to a photo essay they’re doing on Photographers and their Assistants. The idea is for me to shoot a portrait of my assistant and then have the assistant shoot me. I thought it sounded like an OK way to spend a day, so on one of the hottest days of the year, Kaz and I trucked a few hundred pounds of gear up to the roof and I did one of my Artificial Portraits of him, then we went back to the air-conditioned comfort of my apartment where he did a particularly scary shot of me…
The story will be in the Fall issue which comes out in early October…I’ll let y’all know when it drops!
Song of the Day
LISSIE
In Sleep (Live)
DOWNLOAD: In Sleep (Live)
It’s been almost a year since I turned you guys on to Lissie Maurus when I leaked ‘Everywhere I Go’ from her stunning debut EP, but yesterday she dropped Catching A Tiger…her first full-length album…and it is a bit of a surprise. Where the EP was dark, blues-infused and introspective, the album is more upbeat, sunnier and filled with twangy country pop themes. The Rock Island, Illinois native calls L.A. home (and must hang with the cool kids ‘cuz she even sang at Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s wedding), but recently relocated to London to jump-start her career. In fact, the album has been out in Europe since early this summer and she’s deep into a tour of the continent and won’t get back to the States until later this Fall. This live version of ‘In Sleep’ isn’t on the album…it’s a little bonus for all you guys on The List! Enjoy, and then head over to MySpace and make friends with Lissie.
Up To My Ass In Bears……
Typical weekend at the house…
Damn Ugly Photography 