Norwegian "Pictures of the Year"

Posted on March 15, 2009 | Leave a comment

Some great photographs in the Norwegian Press Photographers’ Club 2008 pictures of the year; definitely worth checking out.

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Posted in News, Photography, Pictures

Rode VideoMic

Posted on March 13, 2009 | Leave a comment

Rode VideoMic and 5D MkII in action during a Gaza demo

Those who read the second part of my review of the Canon 5D MkII will know that my microphone of choice for this camera is the Rode VideoMic.

I gave a little interview to Rode about my experiences with their products and why I have chosen the VideoMic as my preferred audio equipment. You can read it here.

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Posted in Camera Equipment, Canon 5D MkII Video, News, Video

Samsung SSDs In Stripe RAID = Speedy!

Posted on March 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

Ok, so this is pretty geeky, but it shows how fast a RAID 0 set-up using SSDs (Solid State Drives….basically using the same technology as your CF or SD camera card) can be.
I have an SSD in my MacBook Air and I’m a huge fan of these drives. They are solid, quick, dependable and silent. As they have no moving parts, they should last longer than traditional mechanical drives and more so, they are rugged as movement doesn’t damage them.
This is definitely the shape of things to come.

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Posted in Computers and Software

Should The BBC Get Canon 5D MkII Cameras?!

Posted on March 8, 2009 | Leave a comment

It seems that the BBC have accused Daily Mirror photographer James Vellacott of ripping off their footage of a U2 concert and putting it on his blog. Actually, turns out that James was using a Canon 5D MkII from a nearby hotel room. The camera is so good (as is the operator), that the BBC can’t tell the difference between what their crew (using much more expensive video gear) have shot, and a single photographer using a DSLR! Seems that after Mirror lawyers explained the situation, the BBC have left James alone!

Further Reading:

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Posted in Camera Equipment, News

Lights Almost On For Darkrooms?

Posted on March 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Just saw a nice set of pictures by Richard Nicholson (via Ben Curtis’ blog) on darkrooms, called “Last One Out, Please Turn On The Light”. 

As I looked through the pictures, I found that my eyes were slightly teary and that I was thinking of a more magical time in photography. When I started out in local papers, I was shooting Tri-X, using D-76 and making my own hand prints. In fact I can still remember how amazing it was to see my first print coming up in the dev tray, in the darkroom at my art school….you just don’t forget these things. Somehow, the sight of a print coming out of an inkjet printer just doesn’t leave one with such fond memories or emotions.
I remember how I’d lock myself into the darkroom at around 9pm and eventually surface at around 4am having finally made the perfect print on Ilford Gallery paper. It was a place where magic was made, gossip was spoken, a place of refuge for journalists trying to hide from the news editor and a place where romances bloomed. A magical place indeed.

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Posted in Pictures, viewpoint

1000 Portraits

Posted on March 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Thousand Portraits from Carlo Nicora on Vimeo.


two photographers – one camera
one weekend – a thousand people

A neat project by Carlo Nicora and Eamon Lane, looks at 1000 faces of London.

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Posted in Photography, Pictures