Emerald Bay Photography News and Updates

Before I took off on my trip to Europe in September, I contemplated all the gear I'd need to take with me: camera, lenses, batteries, extra CF cards, write-able CDs for backup, filters, hoods, remote release, bags with wheels, small carry bag for day trips - but would I need a tripod? I mean - really? How many times would I shoot in situations where I'd truly need a tripod? Would the added weight and bulk be truly justified?

Now, I have to add that over the years, I've developed a rather steady hand. I've learnt to brace myself whenever possible, and use all kinds of locally available objects like tables, chairs, ledges, rocks etc. to steady myself or the camera. So when I bought a new tripod earlier this year, I went for an ultra-sturdy Bogen-Manfrotto - something that would be suitable for the architectural photography I mostly do. Ultra-sturdy however also means ultra-heavy and ultra-bulky. So that tripod was 100% out for travel.

I yearned for a small, ultra-light, carbon-fiber Gitzo - but the high cost of one of those puppies quite honestly scared me off. So - a monopod maybe? Nah. Too weird. Besides I doubt their true usefulness.

So I went to Europe, travelling light (as I like it) and without a tripod. Mostly, the weather was such that I could shoot at ISO 200 or 400 and get a sharp picture.
But indeed there were a few instances where I wished I had a tripod.

One of them was a fun-filled evening at the pool hall with my old friend Tom. Being as it is that we've known eachother for 15 years and he's been my pool teacher for equally as long, we never let an opportunity pass to play a game, whenever and whereever in the world we can manage to meet up. That evening however, I'd brought my camera with me for the first time.

After a few warm-up games, we decided to see if we could photographically capture the path of a billiard ball on the table as it travels into a pocket. We experimented with various settings, but it turned out, that the path only starts really showing up around a half-second exposure. Of course that's way too long to hold steady, so I mostly braced myself - but still, I didn't come back with one tack-sharp photograph. What's below is as good as it gets:





Moral of the story? Never travel without a tripod. Not even if you don't think you'll need one. Ever. Because there's only one certainty - that you will come across a situation when you'll see the shot of a life time, and you'll be stuck having to shoot handheld.

Now where did I leave that info about the Gitzo again?

Labels: photography, photography gear, travel, travel photographer

A friend and I are trying to organize an informal, fun little get-together of local photographers.

Here's how it could work: a theme is chosen for the night, and photographers are encouraged to bring slides on this theme and present them with a time limit of five minutes. You can have live musical accompaniment, or narrate. A portion of the night could also be set aside to show non-themed work. Meanwhile, everyone eats and drinks and is merry and a real sense of an artistic community arises.

What's required are plenty of willing participants (non-photographers with an interest in the craft are invited to attend too), a good space, a projector screen, slide projector, and laptop, and possibly a karaoke machine for the MC to run the show.

So if anybody out there reading this has a desire to try it out or know of a local photographer who might want to attend, email me!.

Labels: photography

As a kid, I spent many Sunday mornings staring at the beautiful colored-glass windows and the lofty rib vaulting of the ancient Roman Catholic church in the small town in Switzerland where I grew up.

Never mind that I wasn't a catholic. But I volunteered to go to church with my catholic friends, just so that I could sit and examine the tall gothic windows, detailed painted ceilings, and intricate wooden carvings at my leisure during mass. My protestant parents didn't mind.

And it was here that I fell in love with architecture, probably without even fully realizing it. To this day, I relish the quiet, almost magical quality of a church - the creaking of those old wooden benches, the hushed voices, the distinct smell of old, musty stone.

There's also something awe-inspiring and symbolic about the art and architecture of a church, especially an ancient European one. But I've learnt to appreciate a religious painting or sculpture for the pure artistic value of it, without letting its subject matter affect me.

So on my recent trip to Vienna I stopped off at one of the city's most commanding sights - the St. Stephan's Cathedral. The weather was dull and grey outside, so the church's interior seemed darker and gloomier than I'm sure it would have been usually.

Yet when a sudden sun burst briefly lit up the windows, the effect was wonderous:

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, Editorial Photography, photography, travel, travel photographer

Here's another snippet from the European travel files, as they trickle in...

The Emperor's Crypt in Vienna is truly a place of beauty as much as it is of death. The bronze coffins from the 16th and 17th century are enduring artistic masterpieces from their time, never mind their morbid suject matter. Lavishly encrusted with symbols of death and religion, they hold the remains of the 146 proud kings, queens, and noblemen that once ruled the extended Austrian kingdom. The last one was buried there in 1990.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, editorial photographer Bend Oregon, Editorial Photography, photography, travel, travel photographer

I *was* going to save this image for Halloween - but as I browsed through the new pictures from my Europe trip, I found this one really struck me. So I figured, what the heck...


Crowned skull figure at corner of 16th Century crypt, Emperor's Crypt, Kapuziner Church, Vienna, Austria

I'll try and post at least one pic a day as I make my way through the approx. 1000 images, so please hang in there with me.

Labels: editorial photographer Bend Oregon, Editorial Photography, photography, travel, travel photographer

My sister and her boyfriend have been dating and living together for nearly 20 years. Two and a half weeks ago, they finally made it legal, official, "till' death do us part".

Of course I was assigned to the task of being their wedding photographer. That I would have to fly half-way around the world for that was a just one of those things you gladly do for the happiness of your family.

The ceremony was beautiful, the dinner was delicious, and of course my sister looked absolutely gorgeous and radiant. So here are a couple of pics for the curious (more to come in the near future):

Labels: photography, portrait photographer Bend Oregon

And another great one is gone: Richard Avedon is dead.

This is really a shame. Although he was already 81 and certainly leaves an astounding photographic legacy, I think Avedon still had a lot to give.

For the uninitiated, here's a look at Avedon's work and life:

His own site
A PBS bio
Pics at the NY Met
Avedon @ Artnet
Excerpts of Avedon's book "The Sixties" at PDN

Labels: photography

I'm back from my trip. Since I'm still a bit jetlagged, and haven't completely joined the living again, y'all have to wait a wee bit longer until I'm ready to post pics and stories from the trip.

In the meantime however, I do have a special little nugget for the alert reader interested in photography: an article I wrote for O'Reilly on food photography.

The article's been well received so far - the Digital Photography Blog has included it into their lineup of useful articles on the topic, and
USA Today Online has mentioned it in conjunction with highlighting the O'Reilly Digital Media site as one of their picks for "Hot Site".

Labels: editorial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, photography